


A Flower for your Thoughts

by Neko_Hikari, r-imaginarium (Neko_Hikari)



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Flowers, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Studying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2020-10-26 23:03:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 33,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20750228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neko_Hikari/pseuds/Neko_Hikari, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neko_Hikari/pseuds/r-imaginarium
Summary: Loosely bases on the following prompt by Your-writing-prompts  on Tumblr"Person A receives a new bouquet of flowers every single tuesday and starts investigating who sends them to them."





	1. A warm Afternoon

**Author's Note:**

  * For [myrini_pond](https://archiveofourown.org/users/myrini_pond/gifts).

> Hello! It's been a while. This is the second time I am ever writing fanfiction and the very first time I am writing real-person fanfiction. I tried my best and hopefully you will like it. I am not quite the in depth fan so I did my best with some research.. 😅
> 
> P.s. This is unedited and unbetaed. If there are any mistakes let me know
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own anybody. Everyone ought to be a master of themselves. 
> 
> If this ever makes it to the attention of the boys, I am so sorry, my friend made me do it.

It was a warm Tuesday afternoon. The curtains rustled softly as the warm breeze made its way inside the university's library. On the scarce tables, students pouring themselves over multiple books trying to finish one assignment and study for the other exam. 

Alone in a corner table, Soonyoung was blankly staring at the bookshelf across. A volume on thermodynamics is open in front of him, opened with the aim to actually, honestly study about Friday's exam. But the rays of light, illuminating the books, are at the very least ten times more interesting than the laws of thermodynamics. And the light caught in the bleached, silver hair of the boy sitting at the table across made him forget the very existence of the exam on Friday. 

Deciding that maybe some fresh air would help him focus, Soonyoung stood up and leaving his bag on his chair, he walked out of the library to the evening sun. The sun was adding a pretty orange glow to the old building and the willow tree that stood proudly in front of it. The young man walked to the vending machine on the side of the library, hoping for a nice coffee to help him stay awake. Unfortunately, said vending machine was all out of coffee. Sighing deeply, he ran his fingers through his blond hair and walked towards the main building,praying that the vending machine there still had some coffee left. 

To his great delight, the blonde managed to get his coffee at the second attempt. Satisfied with his success, Soonyoung made his way back to the library. Just as he was about to enter, the red sign on the door caught his eye. " _ No food or drink may be brought in the library".  _ Standing at the entrance, he hurriedly downed his coffee and proceeded back into the library, after disposing of the can.

By the time Soonyoung made it back to his seat, the sun had already begun setting. The fluorescent lights of the library were drowning out the last light of the day. Falling back on his chair, the blonde was determined to finish the pesky thermodynamics chapter. Pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes for a minute, he turned his attention back to the book. Only to be once again completely distracted. 

Laying on top of the book, a single gardenia flower, with its green leaves defining the boundary between the book and the bloomed flower. Soonyoung sat there staring at the flower for a solid two minutes, before carefully picking it up and burying his nose in it. The sweet scent filled his nostrils. He raised his head and looked around. When he left there was no flower on his book, of that he was certain. So who put the flower there? 

The library was still full of studying students, bent over books, almost ghost like under the harsh fluorescent light. Some of the students have already left; managed to reach their study goal for the day no doubt, he thinks. Amongst those who have left is the boy with the pretty silver hair. Soonyoung is slightly disappointed. He was hoping he'd have an excuse to keep procrastinating, getting lost in the way the light got caught in the boy's hair. Well, maybe he'll be in the library tomorrow, the blonde thought. Maybe the can procrastinate again by watching the light turn the silver into small flames. 

Turning his head back to his book, the blonde stared at the page for a while, before convincing himself to start reading again. He made it to the bottom of the page only to realise that he understood absolutely nothing of what he'd been reading. Ah, back to the beginning of the page and let's try again. This kept happening for a while, until Soonyoung finally made it to the next page. With his focus finally achieved, the young man kept reading and reading trying his hardest to memorize all the information he had been taught during the past weeks. Frantically scribbling in his notebook, trying to make up for the time lost during the lectures, he was soon completely emerged in his study, the sounds of his surroundings slowly fading away.

Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Soonyoung almost jumped out of his bones. Turning around in his chair, he was met with the librarian's crossed arms. Looking up, the blonde tried to prepare himself for whatever he was about to get chastised for. But, the librarian simply smiled a bit and said:

"The library is closing. You should also head home." 

The blond boy nodded and looked around. Apart from him and the librarian, there was no other person in the room. Had he really lost contact with his surroundings so much that he didn't realise neither how late it was nor the library emptying up? Soonyoung carefully closed the book and returned it to the self. Quietly, he packed his bag and turned to leave. He took one step and looked back at the table. Returning to stand behind his chair, he gently picked up the gardenia and held it in his hands. 

Leaving the library behind, the blonde walked up to the bicycle stand. Placing the delicate flower in his pocket, he climbed on his bicycle and headed towards his dorm. Although the afternoon had been warm, the night was not as forgiving. A cold breeze blew, and the bicycle cutting through it served as a reminder that summer was not quite there yet. Fortunately, the dorm was close.

Securing his bicycle, Soonyoung made a beeline to his room. Only when the door closed behind him, did he actually realise how cold it was outside. Throwing his bag on the chair, he stepped into the bathroom to run himself a warm bath. Letting the water run, the blonde delicately removed the flower from his pocket and placed it on his desk. Picking up one of the coffee-stained mugs, he quickly washed it in the bathroom sink and filled it with some water, taking the chance to close the bath faucet. Returning to his desk, he arranged the cup on top of the desk and gently placed the small flower in it. Satisfied, the young man picked up his sleepwear and headed to the bathroom. 

The warm bath did serve its purpose, since by the time Soonyoung stepped out of it and got into his pyjamas, he was warmed to the bone. Hopping under his bed covers, he felt the exhaustion of the day creep up on his limbs. Thinking back to his afternoon in the library, he realised that he still had a lot of studying to do before Friday. Sighing, the young man decided that a good night's rest was more important at the time. After all, there were still two days before the test. Two more afternoons to force the knowledge into his brain. Two more days, to catch a glimpse of the silver haired boy at the other table.

Soonyoung felt his eyes closing. Soon he had drifted off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gardenia: "Secret Love"


	2. Who is the silver haired boy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, I just finished this chapter. Hopefully you'll like it as well.
> 
> Thank you so much for the kudos😁.
> 
> I don't know how long this fanfiction will be but I will keep it going for as long as I can.

Wednesday afternoon came around and once again Soonyoung was in the library above the same book as the day before. With the exception of the cooler weather outside, everything was pretty much the same. Students bent over books, the usual peace of a library all around. The blonde glanced around taking in the sight of the busy room. He was secretly hoping to catch a glimpse of the silver haired boy. Unfortunately, he was nowhere to be seen. 

Soonyoung sighed, but he wasn't one to lose hope. He didn't know exactly the time his new interest got to the library. He could wait, the whole afternoon was still in front of him and he definitely had sufficient studying to do to keep him busy till closing hours again. Thus he turned his attention back to his book and his notebook. At first, he kept looking up every time he heard movement around him, hoping it was the silver haired boy. Every time the blonde was disappointed. After the fourth or fifth time, he decided it was easier to just focus on his studying and hope that his silver haired secret crush would be there when he raises his head again.

He lost track of time again. Yet somehow he was once again surprised to be tapped on the shoulder by the librarian. The blonde quietly packed his things, returned the book, threw his jacket on and left the empty library. Walking out of the building, he looked back at the library building and stood there, watching the lights go off. Pulling his jacket closer to his body, Soonyoung climbed on his bicycle and headed back to the dorm. Throughout the bike ride, all he could do was wonder and hope. Wonder whether he missed the silver haired boy or whether he didn't come to the library at all today. Hope that tomorrow he'd be there, so he could allow himself to be distracted for a bit. He had gotten through a lot of chapters today and there were only two more left to finish tomorrow. He had the time to afford being distracted. 

Before he knew it, the blonde was outside the dorm. Walking into his room, he dropped his bag on his chair and and threw his shoes in the corner. Opting for a warm shower rather than a bath, Soonyoung quickly grabbed his pyjamas and a change of underwear and headed to the bathroom. After stripping off his day clothes and throwing in the laundry basket, he stepped into the shower. Letting the hot water ran down his body, the blonde relished the warmth entering the layers of his skin. Grabbing his shampoo bottle, he squirted a decent amount of liquid on his hand. Running his hands through his hair, he felt rich lather form all over. 

Turning the water back on, the blonde let the foam ran down his body, watching it circle down the drain. Slowly running his fingers through his hair, he made sure all the foam had been washed off. Turning the shower head off, he picked up his lavender-scented body wash. He really liked this body wash, the lavender relaxed him and would definitely grant him a good night's sleep. Squeezing the bottle, he felt the rich scent of lavender flood the bathroom. Carefully scrubbing the scented liquid onto his body, the young man watched the liquid turn into a rich, pale foam. Stepping under the hot water once again, he allowed its warmth to wash away the lather.

As the steam rose from the droplets hitting his skin, Soonyoung let his mind return to the thought of the silver haired boy. He just couldn't figure out why the boy's image would not leave his mind. The sight of the boy's hair brightly blazing under the baking dlow of the afternoon sun...Soonyoung felt his heart skip a beat. Jerking his head up, he quickly turned the shower off. Stepping out of the shower, he wrapped himself in his fluffy towel. The young man dried his body and pulled on his pyjamas. Not bothering to properly hang his towel, he hurried out of the bathroom. Climbing on top of his bed, the blonde sat in silence for a while, blankly staring at his lap. 

What was that? Why did his heart flutter? Those were the only thoughts running through his head, running in a loop. Ah, it must have been the sudden change of his body temperature, the blonde decided. Picking up this week's literary addiction, Soonyoung laid back over the blanket and tried to finish the pesky chapter he had been stuck on for the past three days. He made a progress of three-four pages before he felt his eyes closing. Putting the book back down, he turned off his bedside lamp and laid there for a couple minutes, allowing the darkness to gently surround him. 

Making himself comfortable under the blanket, Soonyoung allowed his mind to return to the university's library. With one day left to finish his revision, he only had two chapters left to revise. "Good job", he thought to himself. The could finish his revision and still have time to have another general run through. He could do it. Unless…..

Unless the silver haired boy came in tomorrow. He needed to be vigilant. If he showed up then Soonyoung would go up to him and try to have a chat. Even if it had to be written. He needed to get that silver hair out of his head. Thankfully, Soonyoung was rather social. He just had to hope that his silver haired crush was also sociable…

His last thought was that he needed a plan. A plan in case the silver haired boy was not willing to talk. Soonyoung drifted off. 

Thursday came along and the morning passed before Soonyoung was even aware of it. His mind was too preoccupied with coming up with a plan to talk with the silver haired boy. He headed to the library, running most of the distance from the west building, which was almost on the other side of the campus. Once there, the blonde picked up the thermodynamics book and sat down at his usual spot. He opened the book on the penultimate chapter and waited. He waited for the silver haired boy to appear. 

He waited and waited, and kept glancing down onto the book catching glimpses of the final chapters. He watched the evening light dye the room with its orange glow, he watched as the students slowly left as the outside light disappeared. He waited in the empty room, hoping the silver haired boy would come.

But his crush did not appear. Dejected, Soonyoung was once again ushered out of the library by the librarian, who gave him a sad smile as she closed the door behind him. The young man climbed on his bicycle and headed to the dorms. On his way there, all he could do was hope that the exam tomorrow would only have one or two exercises from the last chapters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like it please leave kudos or a comment. 
> 
> Let me know if there is any mistakes or what you do or don't like. 
> 
> Hopefully the next chapter will he with you soon.
> 
> ~(=^.^=)~


	3. And thus the chase begins...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The exam day arrives. An interesting dream. A new opportunity arises. 
> 
> P.s. I suck at summaries...😅

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I am apparently still alive and I am so sorry for the 3 month hiatus. I will try to get you more chapters soon. At least for those of you that still read this...😝😝
> 
> Once again, I apologise for any ooc moments..I am not as knowledgeable about the group as I am certain many of you are. Either way, I hope you will enjoy this chapter =^.^=
> 
> TW: Cursing

Friday dawned and Soonyoung climbed on his bicycle, still only half awake, and headed to the university. He parked his bicycle in the stands next to the main building, and slowly made his way to the classroom. The test wasn't till 9am, he knew he was still early, but the young man always followed one principle: better safe than sorry. He would rather be in the classroom too early and have a nap there, than accidentally oversleep on an exam day. 

Settling in his desk, he placed his bag on the desk and curled his arms around it, resting his head on top of it. Letting his eyes close, Soonyoung entered a state of half-awareness, where the sounds of the opening university blended and faded in the background. The darkness that spread in his head once his eyelids connected, slowly gave way to a soft orange glow. In that orange light a drop of silver began spreading. The shapeless colour slowly takes form, humanoid form. The form of a man, slim and just perhaps a bit taller than himself. Drops of black and white tainted the silver, developing clothes to cover the silvery glow. The man was standing, his back turned, a short distance away from him. If Soonyoung stretched his arm he was sure he could touch the white shirt. Yet the blonde found himself unable to move, not even the tips of his fingers would obey him. 

He tried to speak, to call out to the silver man. Although no sound came out of his mouth, the figure turned his head, as if he heard his silent cry. Soonyoung tried to distinguish the man's face but the silver glow appeared again behind the figure spreading behind him like huge wings. The blonde tried shielding his eyes from the brightness, placing his hand atop his brow and creasing his eyes, but he did not turn his head. The young man tried once again to see the figure's face. He could distinguish the features of the figure's face but still the glow altered the colours. Soonyoung was puzzled, trying hard to identify the figure. While he was staring, he suddenly realized that the figure was talking, trying to tell him something. But he could not hear him. He tried reading the figure's lips, but he could not see clearly enough. 

Soonyoung suddenly felt his surroundings shaking. The glow started fading, and white light started flooding his vision. The young man realised he was waking up but it was someone shaking him awake rather than him waking up on his own. He wanted to stay, he realised with a touch of sadness. He wanted to spend more time with the angel figure in front of him. As the dreamscape was fading away, Soonyoung finally heard what the figure was saying, as if it had been whispered straight into his ear:

_ "Soon. I will see you again soon" _

His eyes flew open. Soonyoung jumped up from his chair and found himself face to face with Seokmin, his childhood best friend, smart enough to be an early entry to college. Seokmin was grinning. 

" Looks like you were having an awesome dream there, smiling like an idiot in your sleep. What were you dreaming about, ha? Dirty stuff?"

He teased. Soonyoung lightly punched him on the arm and ran his fingers through his hair.

"First of all, good morning. Second, fuck off, get your mind out if the gutter."

Soonyoung said, rubbing the sleep of his eyes. He closed his eyes and smiled to himself. 

"I dreamt of an angel. It might sound dumb, but it was a pleasant dream...and I swear if you laugh I am going to beat your ass so bad you will be standing for the rest of the semester. "

Soonyoung glared daggers at Seokmin, who was covering his mouth as best he could to hide his smile. Seokmin removed his hand, long enough to stick his tongue out and sank down on the chair next to Soonyoung. 

"Alright, alright. I am sorry I interrupted your special time with your angel crush." Seokmin mocked.

"But for real now, how ready are you for this test? Cause I honestly remember absolutely nothing."

He continued, turning his head to look at his friend. Soonyoung laid back on his chair, crossed his arms in front of him and looked at Seokmin scepticaly.

" I am not sure how ready I am for the exam. But I have to admit, it would be a miracle if you remembered anything of what we have learned, considering you slept through most of the lectures and started revision about 5 hours ago." 

He said with a serious tone, but the glint in his eyes betrayed his amusement. Now it was Seokmin's turn to try and punch Soonyoung, but the latter was faster and easily avoided the punch. 

The two boys continued their playful banter, as more and more half-asleep students filled the classroom. When the teacher entered the room 10 minutes before the beginning of the class, everyone sat up straight, internally panicking that the test would start early. However, the teacher simply pointed at the clock and mumbled something about everyone having 10 minutes left to cram everything in their brains, which perhaps might give them the chance to not fail as miserably as they would. 

Soonyoung did not miss the chance to take advantage of these final minutes to at least try and help his friend to memorize some formulas. After all, one always learns information much better when one tries to teach said information to someone else.

The two hour exam felt like an excruciating torture. Once Soonyoung stepped out of the classroom, he could feel the exhaustion down to his bones. After having his brain running on overdrive, he was happy to be able to switch off. Seokmin's voice next to him sounded as if it was coming from far away, almost like an indistinguishable background noise. Soonyoung could guess that his friend was complaining about the test being difficult, even without being able to clearly hear what he was saying. 

" That's the privilege of knowing someone for all your life." he thought.

Luckily for him, there was only one question from the last chapters, so Soonyoung knew he did alright. He had completely zoned out and was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't even realise when their classmates left and when Seokmin started guiding him towards the cafeteria. He only tuned in again when he felt a light slap on the back of his neck.

"Earth to Soonyoung! Hey, are you alright? You look completely out of it."

Seokmin was looking at him with concern in his eyes. Soonyoung smiled and rubbed the base of his head.

"Yeah, sorry. I am fine. Just switched off for a while. Needed some recovery time." He joked.

"So, we're going to grab a bite in the cafeteria? " Soonyoung asked, looking around. The chilly morning had turned into quite a pleasant day. Sunny and warm, greenery all around, a real spring day. 

"Yeah, I was thinking that completing the exam requires some celebration. And I owe you for the last minute cramming session. But I can't afford anything more expensive than cafeteria food, so I am afraid you'll have to settle for that." 

Seokmin answered, lacing his fingers behind his head. He looked rather relaxed and satisfied. Soonyoung was glad to have an always positive friend, whose mood could not be ruined even if the sky came crashing down in front of him. It helped him feel a bit more energetic, having Seokmin almost hoping about. 

"I'll race you to the cafeteria. If you lose I'll be counting on you for my lecture notes." Seokmin shouted as he started running towards the cafeteria. Soonyoung smiled to himself.

"I already take the notes for you." the young man said out loud, although he was the only one who heard it. He ran as fast as he could, hoping they wouldn't be too late for the Japanese meal set.

By the time the two men made it to the cafeteria, they both were completely out of breath. Soonyoung found them a table at the far end and decided to stay with their bags. He gave Seokmin his order and send him to get the food, after a bit of playful punching. Soonyoung pulled out his phone to keep busy while he was waiting for Seokmin. He sent a short message to his parents letting them know he was doing alright physically, mentally and academically. Satisfied with his biweekly report, he sent the message. 

Wondering where in the deuce Seokmin was, Soonyoung looked around the cafeteria. This room, usually buzzing and bustling with students from at least 7 departments that were housed in their campus, seemed rather empty with most students studying for the exams either in the library or in their rooms. Soonyoung was happy to have finished that most difficult of his exams. He had only one last exam left, but it was an easy one. He wouldn't have to put too much effort in studying for it. He wouldn't even have to go to the library. 

He would though. Go to the library. He had to see his silver-haired crush. And this time he would talk to him. Good thing he didn't have to study too much. The food tray being placed in front of him interrupted his train of thought. 

" I could swear there is something up with you today. You are completely distracted. Did that dream of yours mess with your brain that much?" 

Seokmin sat down across from him with his own tray. He folded his arms across his chest and stared at his friend, waiting for an explanation. Soonyoung just gave him a tired smile.

"I'm sorry. I guess I am rather tired from studying for the exam. I spent the past one and a half weeks with my nose buried in thermodynamics. I'll be alright after a good rest tonight." He responded with a sigh.

"But as I said earlier…" he added, kicking Seokmin under the table, "this has nothing to do with my dream, which you rather rudely disturbed. " 

Seokmin laughed, rubbing his shin. Soonyoung smiled back and picked up his chopsticks. The two men began eating and got caught up in the amazing imaginary adventures of their childhood. Time flew by fast and before they knew it their bowls and plates were empty. Soonyoung offered to return their trays, but Seokmin claimed that he needed to finish what he started. Giving his friend a mock-salute, Seokmin picked up both trays and carried them to the return point. Soonyoung smiled at the fond memory of watching his friend trying to balance two trays in his arms during that one summer he decided to take on a part time job. He had to admit, Seokmin had become rather talented in balancing those trays. 

Glancing at his phone to check the time, Soonyoung contemplated whether to go to the library today in hope of seeing the silver haired boy again or whether to go home and get some extra sleep by going to bed early. Before he had reached a decision, he caught a glimpse of silver with the edge of his eye. 

Soonyoung's head shot up so fast he was sure he had just pulled every single muscle there. He looked around desperately, trying to find his new crush, as the had decided to refer to the silver-haired young man internally. He spotted him halfway through the cafeteria. Scrambling to grab his bag and throw it on his shoulder, Soonyoung run, trying to catch up to the boy meanwhile avoiding the students walking all around him. He heard Seokmin call out to him from the distance. But he didn't want to turn back.He needed to at least learn the boy's name. And Soonyoung would be damned if he let this opportunity slip by…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I hope you liked it. Comments and Kudos are always appreciated and encouraging ^.^
> 
> Hopefully you will hear from me again soon
> 
> ~(=^.^=)~


	4. We meet at last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Soonyoung manage to get answers to his questions?  
WARNING: Chapter contains fluff and starstruck in love behaviour 😜  
....I think at least  
P.s. I am still bad at summarising....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I am alive again and here with an update if there is still anyone reading. I hope everyone is alright and safe during this pandemic. Stay safe people! I'll try to update again soon...but I am not making any promises 
> 
> I am still a very new fan and I do my best. I am sorry if anyone is out of character. I interpret with my limited knowledge. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Soonyoung's lungs were burning. He wondered how he let himself fall back on his gym routine these past few weeks, but pushes that thought to the back of his mind and focused on catching up with the silver haired boy. Soonyoung could see him walking in the distance and prayed internally that the boy would reach his destination soon, cause by now his leg muscles were also complaining about the sudden overuse.

Fortunately, his target came to a stop. Unfortunately, Soonyoung didn't cut speed soon enough. That resulted in Soonyoung falling full-weight on the boy, throwing him off balance and on the ground. With the latter's face landing mere centimetres away from the steps of the library. "Great job Soonyoung! So anxious to learn his name you almost murdered the poor guy" he chastised himself internally. Ah, well at least, there was his chance to get the name. And there was still time to make a smooth introduction, which would definitely be unforgettable for the other boy.

Scrambling to his feet, Soonyoung immediately offered a hand to the fallen boy. 

"I am so terribly sorry. I was in such a rush, I.. I wasn't paying attention. I am so so sorry. Here, let me help you. Are you alright?"

Adding a mental kick to his repertoire of self castigation over his stuttering, he smiled down at the boy, waiting to help him up. Feeling a bit shy, Soonyoung turned his head towards the main buildings. There he was, standing so close to his crush, who he almost accidentally killed a few moments ago and nothing seemed to be going according to plan. Not that he had an actual plan but that was not important at the moment. Right now he just needed to wing it and manage to get a name and maybe with a lot of luck also get a number to match the name.

Completely lost in his thoughts, Soonyoung almost jumped out if his skin when he felt a hand grab his. Snapping his head forward again, he pulled the boy up after getting a better grip on his hand. Shoving all the pestering thoughts to the back of his brain, Soonyoung smiled brightly to the boy and asked once again:

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I am alright. Ow, ow! Do you make a habit out of running around like hell opened its doors and the devil has a bounty on you?" came the answer from the boy, who gently rubbed his torso and dusted off his clothes. 

Soonyoung felt himself blushing as he let out a short laugh. 

"Haha, oh no no. I do not actually make a habit out of running as if...how did you put it? As if hell opened its doors and let loose all demons on me? No no, I usually tend to enjoy walking around peacefully and enjoying the landscape. I am Kwon Soonyoung, second year chemical engineering student. Pleased to make your acquaintance. " he said, flashing the boy another bright smile.

The silver haired boy looked at Soonyoung in silence for a moment, dragging his eyes from the top of his dyed blond hair to the new sneakers he put on half-asleep that morning. Soonyoung's mind began racing again. 

"Ah, indeed not the social type, is he? I feel a bit exposed, being stared at like that… I wonder, what does he study? I feel like I am being observed for a painting. And yet it is as if his eyes can see into my soul. Oh, I might get my answer after all.." he thought as he saw the other boy open his mouth. Quickly focusing his brain, Soonyoung waited with baited breath. 

"Lee Jihoon. Second year Literature student. Pleased to meet you too. Though I would have appreciated meeting you in a more civilised setting rather that you tripping over me. Anyway, I have to leave you first as I have studying to do." the boy said is a serious tone and turned around, climbing the steps of the library with quick steps.

Reaching the top of the steps, Jihoon stoppedand turned back to Soonyoung. 

"If you also plan to get in the library, I would suggest that you dust off your clothes before entering. Otherwise, I am certain the librarian will throw you outside the minute you try to get inside." Jihoon commented and hurried inside.

Soonyoung stood there completely dumbfounded, slowly smiling to himself. Finally, he had a name. That was significant progress. Mission accomplished. Now to the next task: getting a phone number. Or any SNS. Any means of communication would be good enough for him. After all, he couldn't afford to be picky about it. 

Dusting off his shirt and trousers, he got ready to climb the stairs and go around the whole library trying to find Jihoon again, even to just sit at the same table with him, he stopped dead in his tracks upon realising his bag was not on his shoulder anymore. Frantically looking around, Soonyoung began contemplating his dilemma. Should he go looking for his bag and risk missing his chance of finding Jihoon in the library or just ignore his bag and go searching in the library? 

Luckily for him, his dilemma was soon solved, when he felt something slamming on his back. Turning around, he noticed two things: 

  1. His bag was on the ground by his feet.
  2. Seokmin was glaring at him from about 5 meters away, red-faced and completely out of breath.

" May I  _ *shallow fast inhale-exhale* _ have the pleasure to know  _ *shallow fast inhale-exhale* _ , why you took off like you were training for the Olympic team?" his friend shouted at him. 

Soonyoung sighed in relief at the sight of his bag and picked it up. Smiling sheepishly at his friend, he answered:

"Haha, well it seems like a good time to train. All warm and sunny out here. Wanna join?"

Seokmin stared at him in utter disbelief. Shaking his head and rolling his eyes, he politely declined. 

" I just barely held it together for the exam, I am not really in the mood to follow you new mad plan. I'll go sleep and check on you again tonight at the bar. You do remember we are meeting the guys tonight for a beer in celebration of finishing the exam right? So don't exhaust yourself trying to get an athletic scholarship. If you are not outside your dorm by 8:30, I am storming your room and dragging your sorry butt to the bar, whether you are dressed, half-naked or fresh out of the shower."

Soonyoung laughed at his friend's teasing. He watched Seokmin as he turned to leave and then turned back to look at him once again. 

"Why are you outside the library? It's a Friday, there are no assignments due for at least a month and there are no more exams in the near future. Unless your run stopped here by accident? Or perhaps somebody caught your eye and stopped you dead in your tracks? Hmmm…" Seokmin said, smirking and wiggling his eyebrows.

For a split second, Soonyoung felt his hear stop. He didn't mind telling his friend about meeting Jihoon, but he didn't feel this was the right moment to do so. Adding to that the fact that Seokmin would tease him relentlessly about it and the possibility of it slipping out and taking much larger proportions that what the actual situation was, Soonyoung settled for keeping it secret. 

" It never hurts to be prepared early for something. After all, my good friend, knowledge is power." he said and turned on his heels to head to the library, waving goodbye to his friend. Seokmin just shook his head and returned to the main building.

Upon entering the library, Soonyoung went straight to the floor directory. "Literature, Literature, which floor is Literature?" he murmured to himself. He couldn't be sure that Jihoon would be on that floor, but it was a safe place to start looking. Finally, finding the Literature department on the third floor, he sprinted up the stairs as quietly as he could. 

Upon reaching the third floor, Soonyoung took a moment to catch his breath, before entering the maze of bookcases stretching in front of him. Walking amongst all those books, he looked around, staring at all those books, titled flashing by, some bringing back memories from his high school days he wished to keep buried. But he kept looking down the corridors of bookcases, searching for a glint of Jihoon's silver hair.

Finally, he say light in the distance, an opening to the sea of books that surrounded him. Walking out to the floor's study area,he looked around the tables, almost all full of anxious students studying. Yet at the other end of the study area, at a table stuck in the corner, with the sun creating flames out of his hair, sat Jihoon. 

Soonyoung smiled and made his way over to the table. Standing at the opposite end from Jihoon, he softly cleared his throat, catching the boy's attention. 

"Is this seat taken? Do you mind if I sit here?

Jihoon looked at him in silence and just nodded. He seemed completely absorbed in what ever he was reading and was frantically scribbling on the open notebook balanced between the table and his chest. Soonyoung sat down quietly and pulled out his Chemistry textbook. After all, Seokmin might not have any tests in the near future but unfortunately he did and, easy as the subject may be to him, he still wanted to at least refresh his memory on it. Fortunately for him, he was in good company.

Stealing a glance of Jihoon, whose face betrayed him being deeply absorbed in his thoughts, Soonyoung got prepared to also focus on his revision, but the moment he turned his eyes to his book, he felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. Sighing deeply, he gently got out of his chair and casting an apologetic glance at Jihoon, who raised his head at the sound of the chair moving.

Half-walking half-running across the library floor, Soonyoung made it to the opposite corner of the floor, deep in the book maze. He pulled out his phone and answered the call.

"Hi Mom, how are you?" he said in a hushed tone.

" _ Hello sweetie. I am alright. How are you? Good job on the test. It was an important one, wasn't it? Me and your father are very, very proud of you! Do you have any more tests or are you finished?"  _ his mother's voice a little louder that it needed to be, but given the background noise he could hear, Soonyoung decided not to complain. "Afternoon tea time in the Kwon household" he though and smiled to himself. 

Whenever he talked with his mother on the phone, Soonyoung felt a pang of nostalgia for the structured lifestyle of his house. Everything had its specific timing and nothing could happen a moment later. It was always, breakfast at 7:30, lunch at 2:30, afternoon tea at 5:00 and dinner at 8:00. None of these timings would be moved for even a minute. Either you where at the table exactly on time or you waited for the next meal. That was probably the reason, Soonyoung went everywhere early. Had to be sure he would be on time.

" I am good Mom. A little tired, because I woke up early. I still have the Chemistry exam left which is next Wednesday, so I am in the library studying right now. Say hello to Dad for me ok?" Soonyoung whispered into his phone. He hoped his mother would not begin an hour long monologue about every single thing she has been doing since he was last home. After all he really did want to go back to study. And use the opportunity to keep glancing at Jihoon in secret. Unfortunately, his mother did not seem to be paying much attention to what he answered.

" _ Make sure you go to bed early and don't overwork yourself. Are you eating proper meals, sweetie? You have to eat proper meals to be able to do your best in your studies. And rest well too. Do you want me to send you some food? Also do you have plans for your summer vacation? Will you be coming home? Ah, did I tell you? The other day I met Aunty Jihu in the market, and she told me that her niece- you remember her niece, right? Well, she is in her last year of school and she wants to apply at your university. I told her that you would be happy to talk with and help her niece over the summer break to prepare for her exams. Maybe you could bring one of your books with you to show her what- _ " 

" Mom, I have to go! I am in the library. I'll call you tomorrow to talk more, ok? Say hi to Dad for me. We'll talk tomorrow, I promise. I miss you. Bye!" Soonyoung interrupted her and cut the call before his mother had a chance to answer. He loved her very much, but at times his mother seemed to only call him to talk about her things rather that to actually learn how he was.

Putting the phone back in his pocket, Soonyoung headed back to the corner table. In his mind he began preparing topics to start a conversation with Jihoon and manage to get more information out of him. He really wanted to get to know the him better. Maybe he could start by asking about his favourite book or author. Soonyoung did enjoy some light reading in his free time, so he would be able to hold a that kind of a conversation for a short while. Or maybe he should ask him about his hobbies. After all it wasn't nice to assume that just because Jihoon studied literature, he enjoyed reading as an activity in his free time, although it was a fair assumption. 

He made it back to the table, only to find an empty seat, where Jihoon was sitting earlier. Looking around, he realised he returned too late. Jihoon hadn't just gone to pick a book from the selves or visiting the bathroom, he had left the library, since his stuff was gone as well. Dejected, Soonyoung sat down at his seat once again. If only he had managed to get off the phone earlier or better yet if he hadn't picked up the phone…

There was no point in thinking that way now. He had a small win today. He got the name. He had to be satisfied with his small win. Jihoon was in the same campus, he used the same library. They would meet again. Maybe he'd go by the literature department building, if he finds himself desperate enough. For now, he will have to take consolation over this missed opportunity in studying chemistry.

Turning his attention back to his textbook, he suddenly forgot all about studying. On top of his open Chemistry textbook, over the chemical bonds sat a bright yellow tulip. 

He had completely forgotten about the mysterious flowers. He sat there, observing the flower, trying to figure out who was leaving those flowers. Also, why was he getting the flowers? Was there any specific reason or meaning behind them? And why was it a tulip this time? So many questions, none related to Chemistry, thus those questions would have to wait. Now it was time to study. After all, he had to get everything done soon. There was that party Seokmin was planning to drag him to tonight, so he had to be home early, so he could shower and be dressed before his demon of a friend showed up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Upon completing this chapter I realized that I am not particularly good at sticking to the prompt which begun this. Ah well, it is only loosely based on the prompt after all.
> 
> Yellow Tulips: "There is sunshine in your smile"


	5. Why are drunk people such a pain?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for party! And time to see another side of the diligent student.
> 
> tw: mentions of vomiting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I am back again faster than ever to bring you a new chapter in these trying times. Though I am afraid this one turned out in a way that might disappoint some of you al bit. You'll have to wait for the next chapter for some more of the devious plans to get the boy. For now.....
> 
> ENJOY!
> 
> P.S. Thank you so much to all those who left kudos and comments. I feel so happy to get the notifications about them😁😁

To his credit, Soonyoung made it home ealry enough to be able to enjoy his shower,search through his closet for something decent enough to wear at the party he was to be dragged to and plan his weekend errands. To Seokmin's absolute discredit, he was the one who was late. Soonyoung was standing in from of his form building at 8:20 and a messy-looking, frantically running Seokmin showed up at 9:10. 

His friend didn't even stop his frantic running, he just stretched out his arm and grabbed Soonyoung by the sleeve, forcing him to join the running, while mumbling something about dead phone batteries, alarms not ringing and looking like he's been dragged through the desert. Soonyoung would be laughing so hard, if only he wasn't forced to run to keep Seokmin from ripping off his sleeve.

The two young men almost ended up taking a tumble,since Seokmin decided to suddenly freeze up right outside the bar, leading Soonyoung to land rather ungracefully against his friend's back. Both took a moment to readjust their shirts and hair and stepped in the bar.

Watching Seokmin apologise and joke around about being late felt somewhat nostalgic. Many a time during their childhood had Seokmin had a reason to apologise. Apologising for returning home late, apologising for forgetting to do his chores, apologising for tripping over his feet and landing both himself and Soonyoung in the park pond. But Seokmin always apologised in the exact same way; smiling widely and rubbing his left arm furiously with his right palm. Just like he was doing now, while everyone else in their group loudly complained about their tardiness. 

Soonyoung left his friend to be rightfully lectured and headed to the bar. Ordering a beer for himself and one more for Seokmin,he looked around the bar while he waited. Students everywhere, celebrating the end of mid-term exams. Paying for the beers and picking up the bottles, he walked back to the table and pressed one bottle against the back of Seokmin's neck, who proceeded to pull himself away and snapping around to playfully punch him in the shoulder. Their little charade offered some free entertainment to the rest of the group, who all started laughing.

Picking the corner closest to the window, Soonyoung sat down and absent-mindedly stared at the others. Honestly, he knew the names of maybe one or two of the other guys. But Seokmin, being the social butterfly he is, knew every single person in their class since day one. Thus, Soonyoung always somehow found himself in one party or another. He didn't really mind the parties on most days, but tonight his mind was preoccupied. And no matter how much he wanted to focus his brain on the conversation of the moment, it kept having a will of its own and returning to Jihoon.

Soonyoung wondered where Jihoon was at that time. Maybe he was having a late dinner; or maybe he was studying diligently on his desk;or maybe he was already relaxing in bed, enjoying his favourite book. Maybe he was in the shower, under the warm water that…..

Soonyoung mentally slapped himself and it took a lot of conscious restrain to refrain from actually repeating the action physically. Definitely not the time and place to be indulging his fantasies like a teen during their first crush. He was in public, surrounded by a bunch of guys whose brains were probably still stuck in the mindset of their teen years. Above all, if Seokmin caught wind of this, he would never let him live it down. Soonyoung would be damned if he let that happen.

Thus he tried to zoom back in the conversation; or at least give the appearance that he was actually paying attention, even if his brain kept replaying the possible activities Jihoon was engaged in at the moment. He absent-mindedly watches as Seokmin, who was becoming more and more drunk as the minutes passed and the drinks circulated, was narrating a story about his middle school days, when the teacher threw him out of class for deciding to interrupte the class with a poem of his own creation.

Laughing along this the group, Soonyoung decided to pitch in and make his own additions to fill in the little details that Seokmin was conveniently forgetting, such as the fact that while he was being thrown out of class, he had proceeded to walk like a pigeon, which further infuriated the teacher.

By midnight, Seokmin was too drunk to stand up straight on his own, which was the point Soonyoung elected to end their little bar excursion, despite Seokmin's intence protests. Holding his friend upright, he pulled Seokmin's arm around his own shoulder, while also grabbing firm hold across his shoulders. Ensuring that his friend was not about to vomit his guts out yet, Soonyoung slowly turned them towards Seokmin's accomodation building. 

By the time the two boys made it to Seokmin's accommodation, they have had to stop around three times on the way for Seokmin to empty the contents of his stomach. Fortunately, Seokmin managed to mainly vomit inside trash cans. Thus, when he finally managed to get his friend inside, Soonyoung sat him down on the bed.

"Alright Min-min, now you get in your pyjamas and I'll bring you some water,ok?" Soonyoung said smiling softly. It had been quite a while since the last time he had called Seokmin by that nickname. The whole situation felt nostalgic. Like a memory from their shared childhood, one of those times when a young Soonyoung had offered to help Seokmin's mother with taking care of little Seokmin, when he caught a cold or the flu.

Smiling at his friend's half-asleep mumbling of agreement, Soonyoung headed to the kitchen, where he filled a big glass with some cold water. Returning to the room he placed the glass on the desk, and watched as his friend struggled to pull his pyjama shirt over his head. For a moment, Soonyoung considered helping him, but decided against it. Seokmin was a big boy and he had to figure out his pyjamas on his own. Even if his drunk brain wasn't smarter that that if a five year old. 

Instead, Soonyoung grabbed the face towel hanging at the corner, and pour some of the water from the glass over it. To avoid making a mess which he would then have to clean, he made sure to hold the towel over the succulent pot Seokmin kept in his room. God only knew how that plant was surviving in Seokmin's room, but it was in some desperate need for some watering, which he had just provided. Just as he twisted the extra water from the towel to the plant he heard a grunt of relief.

Seokmin had finally managed to get the shirt over his head. Soonyoung just shook his head, picked up the glass and the towel and sat down next to Seokmin. 

"Here, drink half of this and get under the covers." Soonyoung gently urged his friend, who was being peculiarly obedient now that they made it into the room. Once the younger was secured under the covers, Soonyoung placed the towel over Seokmin's forehead. Pulling down from the shelves above the bed a small box, which he was certain was Seokmin's mini medicine box -mainly because his friend never changed- he pulled out the painkillers and gently placed them next to the water glass. 

Checking on Seokmin only led him to discover that his friend had already fallen asleep. Silently he walked to the desk and and picking up a pen he quickly scribbled 

_ "Good Morning Min-min. _

_ I am sure your head is killing you at the moment. Take two pills, drink the rest of the water and call me to tell you how much you embarrassed yourself once your head stops pounding. _

_ See ya, Soonyoung " _

Placing the note on the nightstand, next to the painkiller box, Soonyoung walked to the door, turned off the lights and walked out of the room after glancing one last time at his friend. Then he headed back to his accommodation. 

For once, Soonyoung was happy that both he and Seokmin lived in on-campus accommodation. Because having to walk through any normal street at two in the morning, completely exhausted definitely did not sound appealing. Once he was in his room, he took off his clothes and changed into his pyjamas, softly laughing at the memory of Seokmin struggling to put his on.

After finally climbing into bed, Soonyoung finally allowed his mind to wonder for a while as he felt the full day's exhaustion settle in. His last though before drifting off to sleep was that out of all the possible actions he had imagined Jihoon performing earlier that night, the one that made him really feel giddy inside the most, was the thought of his crush curled up in bed, absorbed in his book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this chapter was not too disappointing with it's small detour from the romantic aspects. Honestly I didn't expect the bar tour to take a full chapter, but an opportunity to explore a different side of Soonyoung appeared and I took it. Also the nickname just got stuck to my brain and it made sense😅
> 
> I promise more romantic stuff in the next chapter. Thank you for reading😊.
> 
> P.S. Let my know of any spelling or grammar errors. I write late at night and I have no energy to check nothing nor the patience to wait until I have checked it to post it 😅


	6. The sent of detergent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long time of continuous study, Soonyoung finally has time to do some laundry. But there is a surprise waiting for him there

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello people who are still reading this. Thank you so much for sticking with me and my irregular updates. I hope you will enjoy this chapter 😁. 
> 
> Until next time, stay safe, stay healthy and stay curious😉.
> 
> Tw: cursing

" _ Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise"  _ his father used to say to him when he was young. Soonyoung might have not managed to actually go to bed early the night before, but he certainly got up bright and early on Saturday morning. Thanking himself for being diligent enough to set his alarm from the previous afternoon before he left for the bar, he stood in front of the mirror for a few minutes, running his fingers through his hair to try and flatten the wild bed head he had acquired over night.

Changing his pyjamas for some comfy sweatpants and a tshirt, he quickly shoved his phone and keys in his pockets and grabbed his laundry basket. Saturday was cleaning day and a good reason to wake up early on a Saturday was that the accommodation laundromat would be empty or at worst only have one or two more people. Thus he could take his time and do his washing, without worrying about impatient students, pulling his clothes out of the washing machine and throwing them on the floor.

The laundromat was empty just as he predicted. Emptying his basket into the corner washer and throwing in a laundry capsule, he selected the permanent press programme, to save himself from having a ton of ironing to do. Then he sat across the machine and pulled out his phone to wait for the end of the cycle. He decided to occupy himself by reading some news while he waited. " _ One should always be informed of the world around them _ " he could almost hear his father's voice in his head.

Browsing through the different digital newspapers, he skimmed through articles about new economic policies, a sex scandal in the entertainment industry that has been going on for way too long in Soonyoung's honest opinion, and some movie reviews about the latest releases. Then the door opened and he raised his head to see who else was such an early bird on a Saturday after mid-terms. His phone almost fell from his hands. For at the door stood Jihoon, who was surveying the laundromat. 

Jihoon walked in, with his hair catching the early morning light and glowing like a halo around head, and Soonyoung could swear his heart stopped beating for a minute or two. Jihoon was wearing a pair of light coloured spring jeans and a long sleeved sky blue cotton shirt barely thick enough to keep away the morning chilly breeze and he looked beautiful. The boy could have been wearing the absolutely worse combination of clothes or heck even a garbage bag and to Soonyoung's eyes he would still be the most handsome person on earth. 

Soonyoung pinched the inside of his elbow hoping the pain would pull his brain together from the love struck route it had been galloping down. The sudden pain did help. He knew he had to somehow acknowledge the other boy, but he just couldn't figure out how to do that. Deep down he knew this was a good opportunity to strike up conversation, assuming of course that Jihoon was, like him, someone who stayed in the laundromat until his clothes were washed and dried. Taking a deep breath to steel his nerves, Soonyoung stood up.

"Hey, Jihoon! Good to see you. I am sorry about yesterday. I left you with my things when I went to answer my phone. You must have been rather busy, cause when I got back you had left. So yeah, I am sorry I left you on your own. How are you?" Soonyoung wasn't sure he breathing throughout this mini speech of his.

Jihoon just started at him for a few moments. 

" Seems like he has a habit of staring at people. I feel like a criminal in interrogation." Soonyoung thought, smiling as he waited for an answer. 

"Yeah, it's ok. I am sorry I left your stuff unsupervised. I suddenly remembered an errand I had to run. I hope there was nothing missing." Jihoon answered politely. He then proceeded to neatly place his clothes in the watching machine across from Soonyoung. Once all his clothes were in the machine, Jihoon reached into his basket for his detergent, only to discover he forgot it. He sighed heavily and walked towards the little detergent vending machine at the opposite end of the room. 

Soonyoung's mouth was open before his brain had time to really organize his thoughts. "Here you can have some of mine if you want. I honestly don't mind at all" he said extended the detergent to the other boy. As Jihoon took the box, nodding his thanks, Soonyoung continued. 

"So do you also live in on-campus accommodation? Which building? I live in Number 5, over there. Room 5.203 to be exact. I was lucky enough to get a corner room. That way I have a bit more space of my own" he smiled at Jihoon, who was silently observing him. 

Feeling a bit self conscious, Soonyoung placed his arms behind his back and balanced his weight against the wall, gently rocking himself as he waited for Jihoon to answer.

Jihoon silently stared at him for what felt like aeons and then he finally sighed. 

"I live in building 9. And before you ask, yes there is a laundromat closer to my building, but I like this one better. It's cleaner. Thank you for lending me detergent. Here." He said and handed Soonyoung the change he had prepared for the machine. "For the detergent I used."

Soonyoung just stared at him for a minute,trying to process what just happened. Flustered, he quickly returned the money to Jihoon and before he really knew what was happening, he heard a voice, which in absolute horror realized was his, say:

"No no no, you dont need to pay me back for the detergent. Just buy me a drink and we are all fine." 

"Oh my! What in hell's name got into you, Kwon Soonyoung? What was that? You just threw all possibilities of getting to know him better out the goddamned window. It will be a miracle if he doesn't run out of here completely freaked out. Damn it how can you be so stupid?" his brain yelled at him. Soonyoung felt panic washed over him like a tsunami. He got ready to apologise to Jihoon.

"Oh, um…sure. I don't really drink that much though. But I guess a beer won't hurt…"

" I am sorry. I didn't really think it through..its ok if you dont want to… Wait what? You really are up for a drink? Yeah, a beer sounds great, when do you have time?" Soonyoung smiled widely, all the castigation his brain just dished on him instantly forgotten. 

" I think I have time on Wednesday afternoon. I only have an afternoon seminar on Thursday. Does that work for you?" Jihoon said absent-mindedly, looking outside the window. 

Soonyoung did have time on Wednesday. Or he could definitely make sufficient time to go. But it took him a few minutes to answer the question he had been asked. His brain was too busy-burning the image unfolding in front of him permanently into his memory. The morning sunlight, filtered through the trees outside the laundromat, beamed on the spot Jihoon was standing, turning his silver hair into a flaming halo, just like the first time he ever noticed him, that afternoon in the library. Soonyoung could not be certain, due to the sunlight reflecting on the machines, but he thought he noticed a faint blush on the other boy's face. 

"Emh, yeah, yeah Wednesday works just fine. Shall we say eight o'clock? I can meet you outside your dormitory or we could meet outside mine, since it is a bit closer to the student bar or...uhm I guess I could also pick you up from your last class if you want.." Soonyoung rumbled,as he felt the blood in his body rush up to his face and neck.

" God, I must be turning into a bloody tomato. How pathetic I must look...rumbling and blushing like and idiot." He thought and hung his head in embarrassment. With Soonyoung's rumbling abruptly stopped there was an eerie silence spreading in the laundromat, as the two boys stood apart within the room. Only the continuous hum of the laundry machines was audible, creating a somewhat pleasant ambience to the room. 

Jihoon was silently observing Soonyoung once again. "Somehow, he looks like a puppy that has misbehaved. Hehe…" he thought and softly smiled to himself. 

"Let's meet outside the library at 7:30. I have some research to do after class on Wednesday, but I should be all done by then." Jihoon broke the silence, which made Soonyoung whip his head upwards and stare at the boy, whose face betrayed nothing of his thoughts yet again. 

Smiling brightly once again, Soonyoung answered " Yeah, sure let's meet outside the library. I'll be waiting for you. Umm,say wanna exchange numbers or maybe KakaoTalk IDs? Just in case something happensand either one can't make it, you know..."

"Oh, um sure. You have a point. Here." Jihoon pulled out his phone from his pocket and opened up his KakaoTalk profile. Soonyoung scanned the code and added Jihoon to his contact list.

"Cute profile picture." Soonyoung joked about the puppy that was featured in the photo.

"Thanks, it's an old photo of my dog. She's more grown now. Her name is Goo. She's at my parents' house." Jihoon murmured, and although his mouth didn't move, Soonyoung could see a glimmer of fondness in his eyes as he looked at the photo.

Unfortunately this magical moment was rudely interrupted by the beeping of the washing machine, informing Soonyoung that his washing was finished. Soonyoung gave a lopsided smile to Jihoon and turned to unload the washing machine and throw his clothes in the dryer. As he turned around, a second beeping began, which in turn made Jihoon also head to his washing. 

Just as Soonyoung was done loading the dryer, the cell phone he had hurriedly stuffed in his pocket began vibrating. Shutting the door and setting the programme, Soonyoung cast one last sorrowful glance towards Jihoon, who was still busy unloading his washer, and headed outside the door. Once outside the building he answered the phone absent-mindedly. 

"Hello?"

"Are you for real? MIN-MIN?!?!?! How old are we, five? God, my head is killing me! How much did you let me drink yesterday? God, I am dying…" came the whiny voice of Seokmin through the phone.

"First of all, my dear Min-min, good to know you are awake. As you know, it is quite hard to get you to stop drinking once you are drunk. But I made sure, you didn't go running around town getting even more drunk, and I got you to your room safely, so you are very welcome. Now, tell me, did you take the painkillers I left by your side, like a good boy? As for your first complain, you will always be little Min-min to me, the little boy that followed me around to play pirates, no matter how big you get. Hmmm, maybe I should send you that video I have from last night when you were clinging to me for dear life." Soonyoung joked.

"Oh my god! DELETE THAT VIDEO NOW!!! Ouch, ah ah my head! Yeah, yeah I took the damned pills and I drank the water and I feel like I was ran over by a train. But I am starving!!! I NEED FOOD!!! Soo-hyung, I am in pain!!!" Seokmin whined. 

"Alright alright, I hear you. I promise I'll bring you some fruits and a sandwich. I still have to finish something and then I'll be there. Why don't you go back to sleep and I'll be there before you know it. Just sleep for another hour, ok? I promise Min-min, I'll be there before you know it. Want me to sing you a lullaby to fall asleep? " Soonyoung teased. 

"Fuck off. I'll hold you to your promise." Seokmin grumbled and Soonyoung heard the rustling of bed sheets before the call ended. Soonyoung chuckled to himself, thinking of poor Seokmin, buried under the covers, trying to ignore the headache and fall asleep.

Soonyoung was grateful that the campus shop was on the way to Seokmin's accommodation. He could get fresh food for his friend and deliver the sandwich still warm. He would take his laundry back to his room and put some more visit-appropriate clothes and then head to his friend's room. 

Satisfied with his little plan, Soonyoung turned around to go back in the laundromat, all ready to get back to his conversation with Jihoon. Now he had a topic to discuss. He'd ask him about his dog. That would probably get him talking for a while, and Soonyoung would get the chance to just listen to his voice.

As soon as he walked in however, his Hope's were completely dashed. Jihoon had left, probably while Soonyoung was busy joking with Seokmin over the phone. Once again, he was devastated. He walked up to the dryer, whose timer indicated about 30 minutes left, and waited, staring off into the sun-filled path outside the door. 

Well at least now he had a way to contact Jihoon. He opened his phone and looked at the profile photo. The puppy was a chocolate labrador and it seemed rather occupied with a ball which was being rolled in front of it. At the edge of the photo he could see someone's fingers - Jihoon's fingers probably- as he was rolling the ball. 

Soonyoung smiled at the thought of Jihoon playing with his dog. Their "date" would be a good chance to ask about the dog. It would definitely give him the chance to learn more about Jihoon. He really wanted to get the boy to open up to him, he really wanted to get closer to him, he…

The beeping of the dryer brought Soonyoung out of his thoughts. Quickly, he unloaded the dry clothes in his basket and reached to pick up his detergent box. His hand found the box, but it felt as if there was something on top of it. He carefully picked up the box and brought it to his eye level. 

On top of the box was a note, on a torn notebook page:

_ "Thanks for lending me your detergent. See you Wednesday.  _

_ Jihoon" _

Next to the name, a dark pink rose petal was stuck. Soonyoung stood there smiling like an idiot for a while. That was until his brain processed what was written on the paper. 

" I gave him my detergent, which means that until the next time he washes this batch of clothes….they will smell like me…" 

Soonyoung felt his cheeks burn at the thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goo: meaning "to complete someone" suitable for a dog that is very close to their owner.  
\- I promise you more of the dog in the future 😉
> 
> Dark pink rose: Thankfulness 
> 
> So there you have it. One more chapter for all of you to read. I will update as soon as I can...


	7. Phonecalls & Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to talk to the family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I am here again to give you a new chapter to keep you happy and entertained in these difficult times. I hope you are all safe and healthy.
> 
> Now I'll be honest. I know you wanted the date chapter and I really wanted to write the date as well. But the family chapter turned out too long and I decided that the date deserves a chapter of it's own.
> 
> So enjoy this and soon you will have the first date 😊

With a bag from the shop in one hand and a bag from the pharmacy in the other, Soonyoung arrived outside Seokmin's accommodation. Unfortunately for him the student shop didn't have any "Condition", so he had to run to the pharmacy, the one that was just outside the campus on the opposite direction and then all the way back to the shop, to get some. But on the positive side, he managed to get a freshly baked egg sandwich and two pears for his friend. 

Stepping into the building he climbed up the two fights of stairs, and got to Seokmin's flat. He knocked on the door and was let in by one of his friend's sleepy flatmates, who then promptly returned to his room. Soonyoung gently knocked on Seokmin's door and stepped in the room. Putting down his bags in the corner, his went and sat down on the bed, next to the duvet bundle.

"Min-min, its time to wake up. Come on, I got you breakfast" he gently shook the bundle. The answer he got was a faint growl and some mumbling from under the duvet. Thus he made another effort to wake Seokmin.

"Min-min, wake up please. If you don't wake up, your sandwich will get cold. Also, if you don't get up, I'll have to call Aunty Eunjeon to wake you up. Or maybe I should call Eunji…" he wondered. In a split second Seokmin jumped upright on the bed.

"Don't you dare call Mom or my sister. Here, I am awake, are you satisfied? Oh, oh, oh my poor head… Also why are you still calling me Min-min? Haven't you had enough yet, teasing me?" Seokmin whined. His hair was sticking in all odd angles, probably the result of him tossing and turning throughout his sleep.

Soonyoung smiled and mockingly stuck out his tongue at Seokmin. He got up and brought the two bags back with him. Pulling the small bottle out of the pharmacy bag, he handed it to his friend, who unscrewed the cap and downed the contents. Next, Soonyoung pulled out the egg sandwich, which Seokmin snatched and tried to stuff his mouth with it. Entertained by his friend's actions, Soonyoung took this chance of Seokmin being unable to complain, to answer his friend's accusations. 

"Well, I am not sure I am able to wake you up, but I can be certain that both your mother and your sister can make you fly out of bed. I assume your head is better that when you called me, since you can whine. Now that you are feeling better, I suppose I can go back to calling you Seokmin. There are also some pears in the bag, but I believe you are satisfied for the time being, since you stuffed your face with the sandwich. How's your head doing?" Soonyoung teased his friend; all that while he got up, walked to the desk, grabbed some tissues, returned and wiped his friend's face. He was aware that at times he behaved quite like the mother when towards Seokmin, but as long as his friend didn't mind and they were behind closed doors, he didn't mind either.

Seokmin glared at him as he swallowed the sandwich. His head was slowly feeling better and was throbbing less. Once, he had swelled the last bite of the sandwich (and his face had been cleaned by Soonyoung) he retorted. 

" I am feeling better and the sandwich was awesome. Why is it that every time I get a sandwich, it is a soggy mess but when you buy them, they always taste amazing? Don't you threaten me with calling my mom or…"

However, before Seokmin managed to finish his biting comments, Soonyoung's phone rang again. Fishing the phone from his pocket, Soonyoung rolled his eyes, and answered the call, putting the phone on speaker.

"Hi, Mom. I am in Seokmin's room right now."

"Hello, Aunty. How are you? How's Uncle Kwon?" Seokmin chipped in, flashing Soonyoung a grin.

" _ Oh, hello Seokmin. We are both good, thank you for asking. How are you? Is Soonyoung being nice to you or is he bullying you again? Soonyoung, you better be nice to him. You should be the good example. Seokmin always looked up to you. Ah, I remember how he used to follow you around everywhere you went. Running behind you like a little duckling. You two were such adorable children. Climbing the trees in the garden or both of you in a cardboard box… sorry your "pirate ship", as you called it. To think that now both of you are university students. Ah so nostalgic. Anyway, Seokmin my dear, how are your parents? I have not spoken with your mother in ages." _

The two boys sat there next to each other feeling more embarrassed that ever before. Fond memories flooded both of them and they shared a smile. Soonyoung gently let his head fall back to the wall behind them, while Seokmin seized the opportunity to answer.

"Aunty, I am very well. Soonyoung is being very very good to me and he is helping me very much. He even brought me breakfast. He always makes sure that I eat and he helps me with the things I don't understand. Aunty, you raised a very good son. You must be very proud of him." Seokmin praised his friend, earning a glare of embarrassment from his friend which he answered by sticking out his tongue. Then he continued 

" As for my parents, I.. I haven't spoken with them in a while but I am sure they are doing good. Ah, I am not as good a son as Soonyoung. My parents are unlucky in that aspect."

"Don't worry Mom. I'm gonna get Seokmin to call his parents and I'll let you know how they are. But Mom, you should also call them. Arrange to meet with them for tea or to go do some shopping with Aunty Eunjeon. You can't count on us students to keep you informed about you neighbour. Although, Seokmin should be calling his parents more often." Soonyoung interjected, smiling smugly at his friends displeased face upon hearing of the upcoming call to his house.

"Ah, I am glad Soonyoung is taking such good care of you, Seokmin. It seems like you still look up and depend on him. It makes me proud as a mother to know I raised such a dependable son. Thank you for thinking so highly of him. Soonyoung, my dear you are right. I should maybe call her and invite her to come to the market with me on Monday. " Soonyoung's mother answered, her smile audible in her voice.

"Are you and Dad doing anything today? Or are you staying home?" Soonyoung asked, as Seokmin got up and headed out of the room to the common bathroom. 

"I am taking your father to go visit Youngsook. Have you spoken with her? She has been very busy lately but last time we talked she said she had some time today. Originally I was planning to go alone, but there is no way I am leaving your father to sit all day in his chair reading the newspaper." his mother shouted behind her and stayed quiet long enough for Soonyoung to hear the grunt of discontent coming from his father. 

Soonyoung realized that he really hadn't talked with his sister in quite some time. He had been so busy with his exams he truly went completely off grid. Soonyoung made a mental note to also call his sister tonight.

"Ah, that's a good plan. Make sure to tell her I said hi. You should be getting ready then. It is quite a long trip to Goesan. I'll call you tomorrow then. And I will call Youngsook tonight, tell her if she complains" he said, just as Seokmin returned to the room. Nodding to his friend, Soonyoung returned his attention to the phone.

"Right, right we should be going. Take care, Soonyoung my dear. Make sure you eat well and sleep well. Goodbye Seokmin. " Soonyoung's mother said and terminated the call before either bay had time to answer.

"So how is your sister doing? Does she have a boyfriend yet or do I still have a chance?" Seokmin teased his friend.

"I dont know to be honest. But even if she doesn't, you dont stand a chance. Actually I dont believe there is a parallel universe out there where you have a chance with my sister." Soonyoung answered, playfully punching his friend on the shoulder.

"But now that you are back, Min-min, it is time to call your mother." Soonyoung continued, stretching across his friend's legs to grab Seokmin's phone. Getting his friend to open the phone, he quickly called Seokmin's home number and put the call on speaker.

The call rang once, twice…

"Hello?" came the voice of Seokmin's mother. 

"Hello, Aunty Eunjeon. It's Soonyoung. I am here with Seokmin, who was insisting we call you to see how you are." Soonyoung said with a cheer in his voice.

"Hi, Mom. How are you?" Seokmin's bored voice added, as he glared at Soonyoung. Soonyoung always made sure to try and convince his mother that Seokmin was a very thoughtful boy, which although Seokmin appreciated, he knew it was a lost cause. 

"Ah, Soonyoung. It is good to hear your voice. I am well and I have my health, thank God. How are you? How are your parents? I haven't spoken with your Mom in quite some time. How is my son? I hope he is not giving you much trouble. Seokmin, be nice to Soonyoung. He is such a good boy, you should follow his example." Seokmin's mother answered.

Seokmin rolled his eyes and huffed, but before he could start complaining, Soonyoung came to his rescue once more.

"Ah, Aunty. Seokmin is being very good, he hasn't been troublesome at all. He asks me if he needs help and he makes sure I don't study myself to death. We have lunch together and we go on walks every other day so that I can get some fresh air. If it wasn't for Seokmin, I wouldn't have seen the city at all. Don't be so harsh with him Aunty. Please, for me" Soonyoung pleaded. Seokmin just stared at his friend, amazed at how Soonyoung was able to make the simplest things sound like herculean labours.

Just as Seokmin always took the blame for whatever went wrong with a smile during their childhood, Soonyoung was always quick to ease the adults' wrath by adding all sorts of tiny details that either made Seokmin appear less guilty than he pleaded or that made the occurrence seem much more insignificant that it truly was. 

"Aigoo Soonyoung. Always rushing to his defence. Are you sure you don't want to become a lawyer? You'd be really good at it. Fine, fine if you think he is that praiseworthy, how can I disagree?" Seokmin's mother laughed. 

"Mom, how is Dad doing? And how is Eunji? Last week she was saying she would be coming home these days…" Seokmin interjected, nodding his thanks to his friend for all the praise he had just sang him. Soonyoung just smiled back.

"Eunji came yesterday late at night, and she just woke up. Eunji, say hello to your brother and Soonyoung!" Seokmin's mother shouted, to which a rather sleepy Eunji shouted back her hello. "As for your Dad, he is on a business trip again. Ah, that husband of mine, always on business trips." she continued. 

The two boys shared a knowing glance. It was a well known fact that Seokmin's father was always travelling around, barely staying home for a night each month. Seokmin promised his mother that he would call his dad in the afternoon and took the chance to distract her from her absent husband by informing her of his last exam and what his expectations for the grade were, which did indeed serve as a pleasant distraction. 

However soon the call was cut short, as Seokmin's mother had some errands to run. As soon as the call was terminated, Soonyoung suggested the two of them also run some shopping errands in the city.

Thus, soon the two boys found themselves enjoying a pleasant day out of campus, doing grocery shopping and wondering in the parks. As the sun was setting, Soonyoung and Seokmin reached the campus once again and bid each other goodbye as they headed to their dorms. 

Upon arriving at his dorm, Soonyoung placed the groceries in the fridge and his space in cupboard respectively. Entering his room, he dropped his bag in the corner and as he promised his mother earlier that day, he called his sister, utilizing the opportunity to also fold the laundry he had just dropped in the room in the morning.

Youngsook was doing fine, she had just dropped their parents at the station and they were on their way home. She had been really busy at work and she was really tired and she really wanted a vacation. Soonyoung just hummed along as his sister rumbled about her life, and folded his shirts and trousers. He told her about his exams and about his shopping day with Seokmin, and about his last exam on Wednesday and….ah, he almost mentioned his date but he managed to not slip up. 

It wasn't that he was worried his sister would be weirded out, but he didn't want to be asked a zillion questions until at least the third date. Assuming there would be a third date...well he could hope. The other issue was that his sister might accidentally mention it to their parents and then there comes a tidal wave of questions…. No, they don't need to know until the third date.

He had a date on Wednesday afternoon. And he had an exam in the morning. Thus he would need to prepare his night outfit from the night before. He would have enough time to come back to the room and change before…

"Soonyoung are you listening to me?" Youngsook's voice interrupted his thought vortex.

"Huh? What?" Soonyoung tried to return his brain to the conversation. 

"I asked if you if you had any plans for summer. If you were going home." his sister said, her irritation evident in her voice. If there was one thing Youngsook hated, it was people getting distracted in the middle of conversation. 

"Oh, um… I don't know what I'll do for summer. I might go on a trip with Seokmin or I might go home. Why are you asking?" Soonyoung said absent-mindedly. 

"Cause I am planning to go home for a week in summer. If I can get the work that requires my physical presence done. Mom and Dad would love to have both of us home at the same time." she stated.

Soonyoung sighed. " Let me know about the progress of your plan and I'll make arrangements to make sure our parents enjoy a week with both of us." his voice laced with sarcasm.

"Good boy. Now, I have to go. It's late, I have to get up early and spend another miserable day at work tomorrow. I miss you and I love you Soonyoungie. Take care. Bye!" Youngsook affectionately contributed. 

"I miss you too Youngsook. And I love you. Talk to you soon." Soonyoung whispered to the phone, as his sister terminated the call.

Smiling to himself, he placed his phone on the bedside table and got off the bed, where he had been sitting folding his laundry, to put said folded laundry back in the wardrobe.

Checking the time on his phone, Soonyoung realised his sister was right. It was getting late, and he really needed a shower. Thus grabbing a fresh pair of underwear and a pair of pyjamas he had washed this morning he headed for the shower. 

Once fresh and clean, Soonyoung returned to bed, curled up under his covers and shut his eyes, focusing on the date in his near future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like this chapter. I will try to return soon with the date chapter. Until then I must ask for your patience and understanding my dear readers.
> 
> As always kudos and comment make me happy and motivated to write you more chapters 😊🥰


	8. Date? Date….DATE!!!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The long awaited date has finally arrived. Will Soonyoung manage to keep cool and charm his date?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello people still reading this fanfiction that gets updated whenever. Thank you for being here. I hope you are all safe and healthy.
> 
> Now enjoy the date (and my long descriptions, results of procrastination... and there to keep you on your toes😜)

Before Soonyoung knew it it was Wednesday morning and he was sitting at a desk, with a Chemistry paper infront if him turned upside down, staring intently at the teacher standing in the front of the classroom. As soon as the teacher gave the signal, Soonyoung turned his paper and started frantically writing. He thanked his lucky stars he was good with chemistry and didn't really need to think. Cause all his brain could think of was the upcoming date. 

Before he knew it, he had answered everything. However, Soonyoung was always really cautious, so he double and triple checked his answers against the questions. Once he was certain everything was correct to his knowledge, he collected his papers and raised his hand. Once the teacher collected his papers, Soonyoung got up and walked quietly out of the classroom. 

Picking up his bag, Soonyoung allowed relief to briefly flood his senses. He was done, no more exams. Time to relax, enjoy the good weather and…..go on his date. He had a date. With Jihoon. In less than 7 hours. To others, 7 hours might be an eternity away, but to Soonyoung it felt like not nearly enough time. He had to go shower, cause he felt a need to be all fresh and clean, change clothes and put on the ones he picked last night. Also he probably needed to eat something. But he had decided to go to the library earlier than the agreed time. After all he did have some books to return.

But, honestly, returning the books was just an excuse. The truth was Soonyoung couldn't wait until 7:30 to see Jihoon. So if he could find him in the library before that, all he had to do was convince Jihoon to let him sit by him. And then be quiet and secretly observe him until 7:30. Well, hopefully that would work.

While his mind had been occupied with all those thoughts, his legs had taken him back to his accommodation. Entering the flat, Soonyoung greeted one of his roommates, who was shoving spoonfuls of corn flakes into his half open mouth, staring blankly at the wall across. The other boy only grunted in response. Heading to the kitchen, Soonyoung pulled out a ramen pack from the cupboard. Not much time left for proper cooking, so ramen out of the pan would have to cut it. Little cooking time and not much washing up after.

With his ramen all done, Soonyoung sat down at the kitchen table and enjoyed his meal, always keeping an eye on his watch. As soon as he was done, he washed the saucepan in the sink, dried it and placed it back in the cupboard. He then proceeded to walk to his room, noticing that his roommate, who was previously sitting on the couch had disappeared. 

Upon entering the room he placed his bag on his desk chair and walked to the wardrobe. Pulling out a pair of clean underwear and a tshirt, as well as the outfit he had selected for his date, he threw the former on the bed, while he gently hanged the outfit on the outside of the closet.

Picking up the underwear and tshirt he headed to the bathroom. Locking the door behind him, he placed the clean set of clothes on the counter and stripped naked, placing his discarded clothes in the laundry basket. He then walked in the shower, turned on the water and let the heat relax his muscles. 

Picking up his shampoo bottle, he squeezed a small quantity into his palm, and proceeded to card his fingers through his hair, creating a rich lather. The scent of almond milk and honey mixed with the steam, filling the bathroom. Soonyoung inhaled deeply before turning on the water again to rinse his hair. Just like his favourite lavanter scented body wash, he really like the scent of this shampoo. Standing under the warm water, Soonyoung found himself reminiscent of how his fondness for those specific products developed.

_ Once when in middle school, he had returned home in the late afternoon after a particularly exhausting taekwondo practice. All he wanted was to wash away all the sweat clinging on him and curl up in his bed. Thus, he quickly hopped in the shower, only to discover while already wet that there was no shampoo left in his shampoo bottle. Now, there was no way he was going to get out of the shower to go search for a new bottle in the cupboard, because then he would have to leave wet footprints all over the bathroom and then his mother would hang him upside down from the roof. The only choice he had was to borrow. And the only available bottle for borrowing was Youngsook's shampoo.  _

_So he did. And as soon as the foam formed on his head, he caught the scent of it on the air. Pleasant and sweet, yet not too intense. He liked it. Rinsing off, he reached for his body wash, only to find it empty. Disappointed, he figured it was easier to borrow Youngsook's again. He would apologise in the morning._ _Placing both empty bottles on the mat outside the shower, so he would remember to put them in the recycling, he focused his attention to his sister's body wash. A medium white bottle with a purple label. "Shoothing Lavender " written on the label. He poured some on his hands and rubbed them together. He smelled the foam. He felt oddly relaxed. He scrubbed his body with it. He rinsed it off. He got out of the shower, dried himself, put in his pyjamas and went to bed. That night was the first night in his life he slept peacefully and woke up refreshed and relaxed. His hair was so soft that morning and his arms still smelled of lavender. _

Soonyoung shook his head to pull himself out of his little trip down memory lane. Closing the water, he reached for the body wash. This time the body wash would be "Zesty Lemon". After all, the lavender body wash was to help him prepare for bed. Today he had a date to get to and he needed to be awake and alert. And also small nice. Lemon it was. 

Rinsing off the foam from his body, he turned off the shower, dried himself up, put on his underwear and tshirt and returned to the room to get dressed for his date. Checking his phone for the time, he realise he didn't have to rush. Soonyoung took off his tshirt and folded it at the edge of his bed. Sitting down on his bed, he put on his black socks. He then proceeded to pick up his black skinny jeans, and pull them over his legs. Next, the shirt. Gently putting his arms through the sleeves of his cream coloured shirt and buttoned it up. He contemplated for a moment whether he should tuck his shirt through his trousers, but decided against it. It was May after all, and there was no reason not to let his shirt outside. The final touch, the shoes. 

Now, for the shoes Soonyoung was in a dilemma. Should he go for slightly formal shoes or would his Vans be sufficient? After careful consideration, he finally decided to go for the Vans. Smart casual felt appropriate. Checking himself in the mirror, Soonyoung decided to slightly roll up his sleeves, just under his elbows. Yes, now he looked good.

Satisfied, Soonyoung turned around and opened his bag. Taking out the Chemistry notebooks, he left inside his daily planner and pencil case. Picking up the library books from his desk, he carefully put them in the bag. Zipping up the main pocket of the bag, he left the bag in the chair and suddenly walked across to the wardrobe. 

_ "Better safe than sorry"  _ he thought as he pulled out his pale blue cardigan. May nights could get cold and it never hurt to have something to put on if he felt cold. Or have something to lend to Jihoon if he feels cold. At the thought of Jihoon, Soonyoung's heart flutterd a bit. He wondered what the other boy would wear for their date.  _ "Whatever he might be wearing, he will definitely look radiant"  _ his treacherous mind whispered.

Folding the cardigan one more time, he placed it in the front pocket of his bag. Closing his bag, he picked it up and slung it over his shoulder. Glancing at the mirror one last time, he left his room and locked the door behind him.

Checking his phone as he exited the accommodation building, he made a mental note of the fact that his stop at the accommodation brought down his waiting time to only 3 hours. Three hours to the date. Soonyoung's feet carried him to the library while his mind was in the clouds over seeing Jihoon soon. 

Upon entering the building, Soonyoung headed to the return office, where he dropped off the books and chatted for about five minutes with the lady at the desk about those books.bidding here goodbye, he headed up the stairs to the literature floor. 

He gently pushed the door open and equally gently closed it behind him. The bookshelves lined up infront of him, in combination with the navy carpeting and the dim lighting of the building, brought to mind the underwater life documentaries Soonyoung and Seokmin watched as children on rainy days, when they couldn't play outside. The only thing missing was the sea animals swimming, and Soonyoung would be certain that he was either dreaming or delusional. 

Walking through the maze of bookshelves as if he had a map, Soonyoung made it to the study area. The tables were mostly empty, which made sence as the exam season was almost over. He looked around the tables, hoping he wasn't too early. Well, he definitely was too early for the date, but he was hoping to surprise Jihoon and get the chance to observe him while he studied.  _ That is of course if Jihoon will let me do so _ he suddenly considered. He felt the nagging worry flood his mind.

Slowly walking around the study area, he searched for a hind of Jihoon's silver hair, hoping that his frantic desperation to find him was not externalised. And then he saw him. In the last table, which was around the corner and this hidden from his initial spot, was Jihoon, completely absorbed in a book and partly hidden behind a small mountain of more books. Although the filtered sunlight did not reach his hair to turn them into the fiery halo Soonyoung had fallen for, the orange glow that reflected on the table lit up his face, emphasising his furrowed brows, evidence of his deep focus and concentration. 

Silently, Soonyoung walked up to Jihoon's table. Standing behind the chair across from Jihoon, he cleared his throat to get the other boy's attention. 

"It seems I am relatively early for our meeting. Would you mind if I kept you company while you finished studying. I promise I'll be more quiet than a mouse." he said, smiling to Jihoon, who whipped his head up with a slightly annoyed look on his face at Soonyoung's little cough.

Jihoon silently regarded him for a minute just like he always did. And Soonyoung felt the same anxiety he always felt when this happened. Then Jihoon nodded and turned his attention back to his book. Soonyoung sighed relieved and quietly pulled the chair out. Opening his bag, he pulled out his own book and opened it at the bookmark. It had been a while since he had last gotten the chance to enjoy some literature. Thus he was going to cherish his relaxation time. And the company made said relaxation even more delightful. 

Soonyoung watched Jihoon for a minute before focusing on his book. Jihoon had returned to his book, which seemed to be a classical literature novel, though he couldn't be sure which one. The little mountain of books seemed to mainly consist of literary criticism. Smiling to himself, Soonyoung allowed his brain to relax and get lost in his book.

While Soonyoung was lost in his own book, Jihoon raised his head and made his own fast observations of the other boy in secret.  _ He seems so lost in thought...Ah, he is worrying his lower lip. Hehe, he looks cute all lost and focused in his book. Like a small child, trying to build a complex Lego construction.  _ Jihoon quietly chuckled to himself. Thankfully, Soonyoung was far too absorbed in his book to realise he was being watched.

Both boys kept glancing at each other in secret, neither caught. Yet, while Soonyoung was blissfully unaware of being watched, Jihoon knew. He knew Soonyoung kept stealing glances and smiling to himself like a fool. And he found it endearing. But he wasn't about to let him know that. He just kept his head down and his nose in his book, only occasionally lifting it to pull one of the other books from the pile on his right.

Soonyoung was certain he had at least finished one chapter and he was already half-way through the next one, when he felt a hand on his shoulder and almost jumped out of his skin. Turning around he found himself staring straight into Jihoon's eyes and his heart stopped.

" I am all finished with my studying. I have to go to the bathroom and then we can go. I'll be back in 10 minutes. Can you keep an eye on my books?" Jihoon said and all Soonyoung could do was nod. As he watched Jihoon walk away, he felt his heart beating again. Sinking down in his chair, he carefully placed the bookmark in between the pages and closed the book. Placing it back inside his bag, his hand came into contact with his cardigan. Soonyoung smiled to himself and realized that he hadn't paid any attention to what Jihoon wore. 

Turning to face the now empty seat across him, Soonyoung felt the flood of worry return. What if the other boy was dressed completely casually and he would be there overdressed feeling like an idiot. Or what if he was under-dressed for the occasion. Would it be too late to run home and change to match? What kind of an excuse could he use to run back? His brain was running miles. But suddenly he became aware of something. He always felt so stressed around Jihoon. He wanted so much to impress the boy, to get him to notice him. Maybe if he talked with him and got to know Jihoon a bit better he wouldn't feel so stressed. He felt as if his head was about to explode. And abruptly it all stopped; his mind went blank. 

Because Jihoon was standing across from him, with an inquisitive look on his face. And once again, Soonyoung forget how to breathe. Jihoon wore a pair of straight cut black denim trousers and a short-sleeved white and blue striped shirt, and suddenly Soonyoung was certain there was nothing more beautiful in the whole world than the boy standing across from him.

"Sorry, it took a little longer than I expected. I had to change clothes. Ready to go?" Jihoon asked and Soonyoung remembered he had to breathe.

"Yeah, sure. Uhm, you look good. That shirt looks really good on you." Soonyoung smiled, praying that the brush he felt creeping on to his cheeks was not too obvious. Picking up his bag, he got up from the chair.

"Thanks… You look really nice too." Jihoon replied his a shy smile of his own, as he made his way around the table. 

_ Oh my. So he can also smile. Ah, his smile will be the end of me.  _ Soonyoung thought to himself, feeling his heartbeat picking up, as the other boy approached him. 

"I have to admit I haven't been at the student bar in my time at this university, so I am afraid you will have to guide me there." Jihoon sighed as he came to stand next to Soonyoung. The latter's smile grew brighter at that declaration. 

"Dont worry you are in good hands. I know the route like the back of my hand…. That's not to say I am a regular at the student bar…." Soonyoung got flustered, recognizing he must have sounded like a party animal.

"Lead the way" Jihoon simply answered, observing the other one as he began navigating the library maze.  _ Hehe, cute. All flustered and worried. Let's see, will I get to see another side of him tonight? Does he have an even brighter smile than those he has already shown me?  _ He contemplated, and grinning to himself, he followed Soonyoung. 

The sun had already set as the two boys exited the library. The sky, still lit in the twilight colours, provided just enough light for Soonyoung to be able to properly lead the way, as he had been asked. Although their walk there was silent, Soonyoung kept secretly stealing glances at Jihoon, studying him as the latter glanced around at the evening landscape. 

_ He is so handsome. No, handsome is not the word …Beautiful. Yes, that is it. He is beautiful. Ah, I could watch him all day. I want to know more about him.  _ Soonyoung reaffirmed to himself. 

Before he knew it, they were outside the bar. Pulling the door open, he allowed Jihoon to enter first and followed him inside. There was a decent number of people in the bar, considering it was Wednesday, yet they found a table in a corner. Making sure his date was comfortable, Soonyoung offered to get the first round of drinks. Jihoon nodded his appreciation of the offer, and silently observed Soonyoung as he disappeared towards the bar.

About three minutes later, Soonyoung returned, holding one bottle of OB Lager in each hand. Placing one bottle on each side of the table, Soonyoung sat down smiling. Picking his bottle up, he toasted.

"To our new friendship. May it last and grow" 

"Thank you for lending me your detergent " added Jihoon, gently clicking his bottle to Soonyoung's. After they had both had a sip, Soonyoung, determined to get to know his date better, began his questioning

"So… do you still have exams? Or are you all finished?"

"Uhm, no I am all done with my exams, but I still have a paper to hand in. It's due on the following Friday. You? Done for mid-term?"

"Yeah, I finished this morning actually. Had my last exam. Now I get some rest till classes start again. Is your paper on " _ The Cloud Dream of Nine"  _ ? I noticed one of the books on the table was a critique on that.." Soonyoung muttered, feeling embarrassment spreading across his face.

Jihoon looked at him and a half smile grasped his face, sending Soonyoung's heart into a beating frenzy for a minute. 

" Indeed it is. Rather perceptive of you Mr Kwon Soonyoung. It's for my classical literature class. Have you read the text? Or are you more a reader of foreign literature?"

At the sound of his full name and the formal prefix, Soonyoung's brain stopped processing. He stared at Jihoon and the little voice in his head began its usual monologue 

_ My name. It sounds so different in his voice. Ah, I wish I could hear him call me all day long. I wonder how would his name sound if I were to call him, if I were to say his name out loud… _

"Soonyoung, are you alright?" A worried voice interrupted his little monologue. 

_ Ah, he said it again… _ "Hmn, oh sorry, I got a bit distracted there...Read " _ The Cloud Dream of Nine _ ", not really. To be honest I started reading it once when I was younger but it was a bit too difficult and advanced for me.." Soonyoung joked.

"I don't have a particular preference for foreign authors but from Korean literature I have a slight preference for the more modern texts" he continued.

"Yeah, it is not a simple text but it was the most interesting amongst the options I had for the paper. So how did you find " _ The Alchemist _ "? It was what you were reading this afternoon and you seemed quite fascinated by it. All absorbed in it." Jihoon answered, not missing the chance to offer a slight tease, even if it meant revealing that he had been observing him as well. It would be worth it, if it made Soonyoung blush more.

Jihoon's wish was granted as Soonyoung became flustered. The latter drank a large sip from his bottle before answering 

"Ehm, yeah it seems interesting. I started it in the beginning of the term, but then I got too busy studying and forgot about it. But once I opened it again today, I just couldn't stop I guess…" he smiled, his cheeks burning.

_ Aww, I got him flustered. So cute.  _ Jihoon's eyes sparkled, the only feature in his face betraying his entertainment in the situation. 

"Yeah, it is a rather interesting book. Though of Coelho's books I prefer " _ The Witch of Portobello _ ". It is a less known book but equally interesting " Jihoon stated.

"Ah, so you also like Coelho. Good to know. If you have that book I'd be interested to read it. If you wouldn't mind lending it to me.." Soonyoung smiled as charmingly as he could. Jihoon though seemed immune to his charm.

"Sure, I'll search for it. I think I have it somewhere" the latter responded.

From books they like and recommended to each other, to family members to Jihoon showing Soonyoung photos of Goo the conversation flowed easily and so did the drinks. Though Jihoon went to bring the next rounds. 

Soonyoung knew he didn't drink much, but maybe he was rather tired. After all he hadn't slept well the night before, being all excited about the date and all, and he did wake up early for his exam. All he knew is one moment he closed his eyes and the next time he opened them it was morning and he was in his bed. 

Turning towards his nightstand, he found a glass of water, a painkiller, an apple and a sweet pea flower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OB Lager: Popular Korean Beer 
> 
> The Cloud Dream of Nine: Famous classical piece of Korean literature written in the 17th century.
> 
> Sweet pea flower: Thank you for a lovely time
> 
> There you go that was the (first ?) date chapter for you. Hope you enjoyed. And the cliffhanger is there to make sure you will be coming back for more 😜.
> 
> I'll be back as soon as possible. Stay safe .


	9. Aftermath & Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How did Soonyoung get in his bed? What happened in between? Secrets revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello wonderful people, who are still here bearing with me and still reading this. I am back with perhaps the longest chapter yet, full of fluffy moments and embarrassment. I hope you will enjoy ^.^

_ What happened last night? _

That was the first thing that came to Soonyoung's mind.

_ I remember being at the bar with him and then nothing. Did I fall asleep? Oh damn, did I end up getting drunk? What have I done? _

Sitting up on the bed and turning around so that he could rest his back against the wall, he fell a slight pounding in his head. Without neither hesitation nor a second thought, he reached for the water and the painkiller. Popping the pill in his mouth, he proceeded to down the water, place the glass back on the nightstand and rest his head on the wall behind him.

_ Hopefully I didn't make a fool of myself last night. Oh my, what must Jihoon be thinking about me? Jihoon...ah, he looked beautiful last night. That shirt, it suited him so well. And his smile...I swear I have never seen anything so ...so… ah, It lit up the whole room. Made everything else seem insignificant. _

Soonyoung brought his hands over his face and smiled to himself. He could feel his face getting warmer and warmer, as the embarrassment spread over his body.

_ Ah, I have fallen hard for him haven't I? _

He uttered that rhetorical question, letting it hang in the air for a bit. There was a wave of relief washing over him at this admission. Somehow it felt right, like he suddenly found a missing part of himself. But the question was, would he be willing to risk spoiling everything by telling Jihoon?

No, not yet. As happy as the realisation made him feel, he would not risk it unless he had evidence that he might have a chance. So he would just keep getting close to him. If he hadn't already driven Jihoon away with his pathetic act the previous night. If only he knew what happened last night…

Reaching back to the nightstand,aiming to get his phone he noticed a note under the floating flower. Careful not to spill any water, he lifted the bowl and took the note. Plasing the bowl back down and grabbing his phone, Soonyoung returned to his original position, though he did allow his body to slide slightly lower than before. 

The note had a faint scent of jasmine, which slowly filled Soonyoung's lungs. Smiling he opened it.

_ "I had fun last night. It was interesting to see a new side of you. We should do this again. I hope you are feeling alright. _

_ Jihoon _

_ P.s. Thank you for the sweater. I'll return it to you next time. _

_ Maybe I didn't do so bad last night. _ Soonyoung's smile grew for an moment, before disappearing. _ Wait….the sweater? _

Slowly getting out of bed, he walked to his desk and opened his bag. Book, notebook, pencil case...nope, his cardigan was not in there.

_ Right, now I really need to know what happened. _He thought immediately. But then a new thought worked it's way in.

Jihoon, in his cardigan over that stripped shirt he wore last night. The cardigan would probably be a bit too long for him, probably past his hips, sleeves too long covering his hands and maybe past his fingers. Jihoon just standing there, looking at him, smiling gently, and he looks like an angel. 

And before he knows it, Soonyoung finds himself lying in bed daydreaming about the other boy. Picking up his phone, he opened up the KakaoTalk app. Tapping on the photo of Goo, he stared at his screen for a moment before typing up a message and sending it.

** _Good morning. I hope you slept well. Sorry, I guess I ended up falling asleep on you…_ **

He also snapped a photo of the little note, adding a "thank you" emoji before sending it. Now he had to wait for an answer. He counted: _ one breath, two breaths, three breaths… _

**Ding**. Soonyoung almost dropped his phone in surprise. 

** _Good morning. Yes, thank you I slept well. It's alright. You must have been tired. _ **

** _I'll make it up to you. Let's do it again. I'll take you out to dinner._ ** Soonyoung typed before he knew it, and proceeded to mentally slap himself at the boldness of his message. _ One breath, two breaths, three breaths, four breaths, five breaths, six breaths, seven breaths, eight breaths, nine breaths, ten breaths… _

**Ding. **

** _Aren't you the bold type...Alright, as long as it is your treat, I am in. After all I do have to return your sweater. _ **

Soonyoung let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. He smiled at his screen.

** _Whenever you have a free afternoon let me know. I know a nice restaurant. All my treat of course. _ **

He paused for a second after sending that message. He really wanted to know what happened the night before. Before he could think it through he quickly typed:

** _Say, I am a little fuzzy on the details of last night. I remember us being in the bar but then I woke up in my room. Could you tell me what happed in between? Please!!_ **

Not a moment went by and an answer arrived. A reply to the first message. 

** _I'll check my schedule and let you know._ **

Soonyoung waited for an answer to his question. Soon an answer arrived.

** _Nope, not telling you._ **

And Jihoon went offline.

~○~○~○~○~

Jihoon smiled at his screen for a bit, after closing the app. No, he would not let Soonyoung know what happened the night before. Not yet at least. He would let him stew for a while before telling him of the unexpected side he showed last night. Getting up from the kitchen table, he washed his bowl in the sink and left it to dry, before heading in him room.

Once inside, he sat cross legged on his bed. Looking at his desk across, he smiled fondly at the sight of the borrowed sweater, carefully folded on top of the desk, as he allowed memories of the previous night flood his mind.

_ The two boys were sitting at their corner table and chatting pleasantly, Jihoon showing Soonyoung photos of Goo he had received from his parents during the last few days. Soonyoung just smiled, excitedly asking questions about the dog and Jihoon's parents. His eyes sparkling and he listened to Jihoon answer the questions one by one. _

_ Jihoon got up for the fourth time that night to go to the bar and get them drinks. He left Soonyoung looking at pictures of Goo. Arriving at the bar, he ordered one beer for Soonyoung and one ginger ale for himself. He couldn't drink too much and they had already had two beers, before he started ordering himself ginger ale. But Soonyoung seemed still able to handle alcohol. Must be nice to not be a lightweight, Jihoon thought. _

_ Returning to the table with the drinks, he found Soonyoung staring at this one photo. It was a photo of Jihoon sleeping with Goo laying beside his head. Soonyoung beamed at him as he sat down. _

_ "Aww, this one so cute! You both look adorable! Awww" Soonyoung raved. _

_ Jihoon just smiled back and nodded, silently observing Soonyoung as he went back to looking at the photo. He must have had quite a long day, as it seemed the alcohol had started getting to his head. His cheeks were slightly flushed and his eyes shown, and he looked beautiful. _

_ Jihoon decided to share the story of that photo. Just so those shining eyes would be focused on him for a while. Just so he could look straight into those eyes. So he told Soonyoung about how he was sick that day and he spent most of it sleeping. About how Goo had climbed on the bed and curled up next to him, as if knowing that he wasn't feeling good. How nobody had the heart to pull her away, since she cried when they tried to move her. _

_ And Soonyoung listened, completely absorbed in the story, eyes wide in excitement. And slowly those bright eyes seemed heavy, and Soonyoung's head slumped against his arm. His eyes barely open, Soonyoung seemed to be struggling to stay awake. _

_ Jihoon drew his little story to an end and fondly looked at the other boy, whose eyes had fallen closed. Checking both their bottles for remaining liquid, he realized that they both had managed to finish their last drinks. Good, nothing wasted then. Apart from poor Soonyoung. _

_ 'Ah, he looks adorable' Jihoon reflected. He gently shook the sleeping boy. _

_ "Hmm?" came the answer. _

_ "I think it is about time we go back home. It is getting pretty late." Jihoon whispered, bending his knees to bring himself next to Soonyoung's head, which was still being held off the table by the boy's arm. _

_ Soonyoung lifteted his head and nodded, before letting out a silent yawn, and blinking slowly at Jihoon. _

_ "So cute" muttered Jihoon, before picking up Soonyoung's bag and passing it over his shoulder. Next he stretched out his arm to Soonyoung, who sheepishly accepted the help to stand up. Once they were both on their feet, Jihoon momentarily debated internally how to best make sure the other boy would get safely back to his accommodation. Suddenly his debate was interrupted. _

_ Soonyoung simply dragged his hand down from the other boy's elbow, where he had gripped for balance to get of the chair, to the palm an laced their fingers together. And now he was standing next to Jihoon, looking at him under tousled hair with a sleepy smile plastered on his face. And Jihoon's heart just melted. Well, holding hands till the accommodation was definitely one way to make sure Soonyoung reached his room and Jihoon was more than happy to oblige. _

_ With the taller boy on tow , they exited the bar, and Jihoon drew a deep breath of the crisp night air. While the afternoon had been relatively pleasant in terms of temperature, now there was a cold breeze blowing. Still it was a nice chance from the stifling air of the bar. _

_ "You live in building 5 right?" Jihoon inquired, his voice soft. Soonyoung smiled and nodded once more, before resting his head against Jihoon's shoulder. Jihoon let out a small huff. _

_ "Are you sure this is a position you are comfortable walking in? Cause you don't look particularly comfortable, bent like that" he commented, a small smile gracing his lips. _

_ But Soonyoung shook his head, burying it deeper into the junction of Jihoon's collar bone. His blond hair tickled the other boys neck, and Soonyoung let out a small breath, before smiling against Jihoon's skin that was bared as his head had moved against the fabric of his date's shirt. _

_ Jihoon felt his face burn. The proximity of Soonyoung's head to his neck and the sensation of his soft hair against his neck made his mind fog up. Slightly turning his head he inhaled a silent breath above the boy's head, as it was tucked against his neck. The scent of almond milk and honey filled his nostrils and… was that a citrusy note he sensed? _

_ 'Ah, somehow this smell suits him. When you think you understand everything about him there pops an unexpected new side. Somehow I expected his scent to be complex' Jihoon smiled to himself as he turned his head forward. _

_ The two boys walked for a while like that, with Soonyoung weirdly bent against Jihoon's shoulder and their hands tightly knit. 'We must be a fanny image to anyone watching' was the main thought at the back of Jihoon's mind but the sensory overload he was experiencing from the multiple areas of contact between their bodies was mostly occupying hims thoughts leaving almost no space for anything else. _

_ Before they knew it they had made it to Soonyoung's accommodation. Jihoon felt a pang of disappointment; somewhere deep inside he was hoping this date of theirs would last longer. A sudden breeze made him shiver, which roused Soonyoung from his comfortable spot against Jihoon's neck. _

_ "Are you cold?" Soonyoung asked, his voice laced heavily with sleep. Before Jihoon had time to answer, Soonyoung lifted his head and turned to his bag, which was still hanging from Jihoon's shoulder. He opened the bag and pulled out a blue sweater. Taking his bag from a silent Jihoon, he threw it over his own shoulder and also asked silently for the other boy's bag, which was handed to him in equal silence, accompanied by a curious look on Jihoon's face. With both bags now on his shoulder, Soonyoung gave the other boy a sleepy grin, he stretched both his arms over his head. _

_ Jihoon observed him, his curious look turning into an intrigued smirk as he realised what the other boy was asking of him. Mimicking Soonyoung's pose, he allowed him to pull the sweater over him. Once he felt the sweater settle, he raised his head to look at the taller boy. And the sight he gazed upon made his heart beat faster. _

_ Soonyoung was staring at him, his mouth slightly ajar and his cheeks blooming red in the low light of the accommodation entrance. He was looking at him like Jihoon had the sun upon his shoulders. And now Jihoon knew that the boy standing in front of him was at his complete mercy. 'Oh, how great this will be. Let's see, how long before he is ready to admit it out loud' Jihoon smiled internally, while he also felt his face burning up. _

_ Soonyoung's face slipped into a gentle smile, before he pulled his keys out of his bag and handed them to Jihoon. Then he returned to Jihoon's side, laced their fingers together and played his head once again upon the other boy's shoulder, while keeping both bags on him. Inhaling deeply, Soonyoung chuckled, and in a husky voice he echoed: _

_ "Now you smell like me. I like that" _

_ If Jihoon went any more red he would be the planet Mars. Unaffected Soonyoung continued _

_ "Room 5.203. I am in your hands" he said and closed his eyes contentedly, tightening his grip on Jihoon's hand. Jihoon rolled his eyes and pulled the other boy along. _

_ Once they reached the second floor and entered the flat, Jihoon made a beeline for Soonyoung's room. Upon entering the room he walked with Soonyoung to the bed and dropped him on it gently. Soonyoung bounced a bit and let out a small giggle. _

_ "Alright, Soonyoung. I'm gonna go get you a glass of water and you are going to put on your pyjamas, alright?" Jihoon prompted, taking both bags from Soonyoung. He placed Soonyoung's bag on the desk chair, and his own bag he placed on his shoulder. _

_ Soonyoung was looking at him, dazed from sleep, with a peaceful smile on his face. He nodded slowly. Before he was actually aware of what he was doing, Jihoon found himself raising a hand to Soonyoung's hair and tousling it gently. _

_ "Good boy" he said smiling and headed out the door. Slipping into the kitchen, he carefully filled a glass with water. As he was turning around to return to the room, he noticed a small clear bowl. Hoping the bowl did belong to Soonyoung, he picked it up and finally returned to the room. _

_ By the time Jihoon got back to the room, Soonyoung was in his pyjamas and asleep on top of the duvet, laying on his side. His head was tucked in the corner of the bed, on the pillow and his left leg was bent towards his torso. _

_ 'He must have been exhausted. Ah, he looks adorable' Jihoon's lips curled in a fond smile. Placing both the bowl and the water glass on the nightstand, he slowly and gently pulled the duvet from under Soonyoung, earning a sleepy whine from the boy. He had to stretch his body to be able to cover Soonyoung with the duvet, as the latter had curled up on the far side of the bed. _

_ Once he was sure Soonyoung would not catch a cold in his sleep, he glanced around the room for painkillers. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, the painkillers were on top of the desk. Jihoon wondered for a moment why would Soonyoung have the painkillers on the desk, but soon concluded there was no point wondering at the moment when he could ask him some other day. _

_ Adding the painkillers to the objects on the nightstand, he carefully placed his bag on the floor. Being as quiet as possible he opened his back and pulled out his notebook. Writing a small note, he tore the page out, which earned another sleepy whine from Soonyoung at the sudden noise, he folded it and placed it on the nightstand, away from the water glass. Digging through his bag, he pulled out a small jar, filled halfway with wet soil, and took out a sweet pea blossom. He had cut it this morning and it looked a little wilted but some water would hopefully keep it alive until the morning. _

_ He carefully poured some of the water from the glass in the bowl and placed the flower inside. Then he placed the bowl over the note. He closed his bag and pulled it back on his shoulder. Standing up, he cast one final glance at the sleeping Soonyoung, walked to the door, turned of the lights and left the room as silently as possible. _

_ Upon arriving in his own room, Jihoon placed his bag on the desk and quickly changed to his pyjamas. Until he saw his bed he hadn't realised how tired he was. Climbing under his covers, he glanced at the sweater he had folded on his desk and smiled. _

_ "Now, let's see, how long will I be able to tease him? And for how long will he be looking at me with that starstruck look in his eyes? Actually...for how long has he been looking at me like that?" Jihoon inquired of himself. But it was already too late for him to me having a debate with his brain. He could continue in the morning. Smiling at the thought of Soonyoung's sleepy smile, he allowed his eyes to close _ _ . _

No, Jihoon would not share this little tale his Soonyoung yet. That, he had decided, would be how he would tease him for the next few days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there you have it. Soonyoung has fallen to deep and the worst part is Jihoon knows about it and is being a tease. Stay tuned for more. See you soon.
> 
> Stay healthy and safe.


	10. Things Back to Normal (?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things appear to have gone back to how they were after that first date, but no second meeting...yet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, you poor people still stuck on this mess with me. Thank you for still reading. I am back with a new chapter to keep you on your toes. Enjoy!

Classes resumed and Soonyoung was once again thrown into his usual routine: class, lunch with Seokmin, more classes, return home, eat dinner, study for two hours and pass out from exhaustion. New day, same routine.

However, every single day Soonyoung kept telling himself that would be the day he would go to the library after classes and look for Jihoon. And every single day he was too tired to do so when his classes were over.

Naturally, it didn't help that Jihoon hadn't messaged him since that morning. Thus, two weeks after their date, Soonyoung found himself sitting on the bed staring at his phone's screen and his chat with Jihoon which was open on it. Blankly staring at the the photo of Goo Jihoon was using as a profile picture, his mind was running at 100 miles per hour. 

What should he write? How should he begin the conversation? Would Jihoon answer? Or had he messed up so bad that night that the other boy had decided to never talk to him again? Was that why he hadn't sent him any messages since then?

Soonyoung shook his head, trying to push all these thoughts away. There were more reasons why Jihoon hadn't messaged him yet. After all, he was a literature student and he definitely must be very busy with his classes and his studying. Maybe he had just forgotten. Whatever the reason, Soonyoung knew he should be positive about it, even if it was usually hard to do so.

Drawing a deep breath, he quickly typed his message and sent it without a second glance.

**Hey, how are you? We haven't spoken in a while and I was wondering if you are doing alright…**

As always one breath, two breaths, three breaths 

**Ding!**

**Hello. I am doing alright. Sorry, I have been rather busy since classes started.**

Soonyoung let out a breath of relief. Jihoon had just been busy, he wasn't ignoring him. He allowed the relief to flood his body and prepared to type an answer about how it was alright and he was glad that Jihoon was doing good. But before he could…

**Ding!**

**So about that restaurant you were talking about the other time...is it open on Friday?**

Soonyoung stared at the message for a whole minute. Was he reading this right? Was Jihoon asking him out on a date? Fumbling with his phone, he replied.

**Yeah, I think it is. Do you have time on Friday? I think on Fridays it has a noodle buffet…**

**Yes, I have time on Friday evening. Noodles sound good. Do you have time on Friday?**

**Ah, yeah I think I do have time on Friday. Shall we meet in the library like last time? **

**No, I think I'll come pick you up from your accommodation. Be at the entrance at 7pm.**

And Jihoon went offline once again. Soonyoung sat on his bed dumbfounded. Not only he had a date on Friday, but he was gonna be picked up by Jihoon from his accommodation as if he was going to prom. Wait a second…how did Jihoon know where his accommodation was?

_ That would probably be because you told him exactly where you live idiot.. that day in the laundromat  _ his brain immediately interjected. Soonyoung smiled and let his body fall back on the bed. 

Ah, he felt like he was floating. He would have to pick another pretty outfit for their new date. And Jihoon….ah Jihoon would no doubt look dashing even if he showed up wearing a potato sack and sandals with socks. 

"I have fallen so deep, haven't I" he muttered. " I have to be careful, I can't let myself fall asleep again. I don't want to miss a single moment of this date. But also I can't let myself get drunk either. Can't risk saying something I shouldn't and destroying everything." His brain supplemented. 

Fortunately Fridays he only had the morning class. Like their last date, he was busy until 11 am, but this time the classroom was further away. He would come back and take a nap before getting ready. Then he wouldn't be that tired during their date. Satisfied with his little plan, he got back up and grabbed his physics textbook off the shelf, after placing his phone on the nightstand. It was after all 9 pm and he still hadn't studied for his class the next morning.

Pulling his notebook out of his bag, he revised last weeks chapter and compared his notes to the textbook, adding on either details or facts missing. Thermodynamics was not his best topic and as it was the only topic he didn't do well in the exam, he kept returning to it again and again. He also read through the next topic, to be prepared and ready with his questions for tomorrow. Before he knew it it was already midnight and his eyes were closing.

Soonyoung put the notebook back in his bag and the book back on the shelf. He felt like nothing stuck in his brain, but he knew this was just his exhausted brain running on fumes; nothing a good night's sleep couldn't fix. Thus he got up, changed into his pyjamas, and went to the bathroom to wash up. He brushed his teeth and he turned the faucet to warm. He splashed his face with the warm water. Opening the small cupboard above the sink, he took out the face soap and squeezed a bit on the fingers of his right hand. 

Soonyoung was lucky, he had a rather clean complexion, never really had to religiously wash his face every morning like Youngsook had to do throughout their teenage years. But once or twice a week he did carefully wash his face, to make sure that his skin would get a proper clean up and not just a water wash from his regular showers.

Placing his left hand under the faucet he ensured that it was sufficiently wet before turning of the faucet. Rubbing the soaked fingers against the centre of his left palm, he diligently created a rich foam. Once there was sufficient foam on both hands, Soonyoung gently ran his hands over his cheeks, his forehead, his cheekbones and his chin. Then he carefully passed his fingers over his nose, spreading the last of the lather over it. He placed the soap back in the cupboard and turned on the faucet to cold. 

Splashing his face (and his pyjama top in the process), Soonyoung washed away the foam and watched it all disappear down the drain. Turning off the faucet he dried his face and returned to his room. Sitting down on his bed, he opened the drawer of his nightstand and took out his moisturizer. When at home with Youngsook, it was much easier for Soonyoung to have a proper skincare routine. He could ask his sister for advice and the two of them would take their time to go through all the steps and enjoy some proper gossiping sessions at the same time. 

But now in university in a different city, Soonyoung found himself too busy to maintain a proper skincare routine. But even his little two step routine could be very beneficial once in a while. Applying the moisturizer on his face and returning the bottle to the nightstand drawer, Soonyoung laid back on his pillows and got himself comfortable. 

Just as he was about to surrender himself to the oblivion of sleep, his brain jolted him awake with one single thought: date.

He has another chance to learn more about Jihoon. On Friday. And he has to manage to not be too tired and not get drunk and to be attentive and to not make the other boy feel uncomfortable and…

His brain was going to overdrive again and if he allowed it to continue he would not sleep all night and he will be sleeping in class tomorrow. But he has questions for the teacher and there is no way he can count on Seokmin to keep notes for him or ask his questions. So he has to sleep. 

No need to worry. He has a plan and it will all work out perfectly. Soonyoung still has one more day to refine his plan before having to execute it. It will all be fine. Also, he can't afford to let the Friday date get to his head, cause tomorrow he has to face Seokmin and if Seokmin picks up anything about the date, he will never stop pestering him about it. Or worse, manage to get enough information out of him to come and disturb the date…

No, no, no he is NOT going down this path right now. Right now he needs to sleep. Soonyoung pulled the covers over himself and turning to his side, he turned off the light over his bed. Curling up under the covers, he hugged his pillow and closed his eyes. Slowly, he felt his body go numb, from the tips of his toes creeping up to his torso and face. Before he knew it he was asleep.

_ Soonyoung was standing on a green slope. He looked around trying to figure out where he was. Suddenly he realised. He was up on Buramsan, close to the temple. He could see the temple in the distance. It was a nice spot where he was standing. Quiet and sort of isolated. Far from the temple and the path, not many people went there. A ring of trees to his left, that's where he and Seokmin used to play. Soonyoung walked towards the trees, finding the pine tree they used to sit under and planting himself there.  _

_ Soonyoung let the sun warm up his body. He inhaled deeply, enjoying the feeling of the fresh mouth filling his lungs. He closed his eyes and smiled. This was quite the relaxing dream. Then he heard a voice and the warmth was gone. _

_ "Soonyoung…"  _

_ He opened his eyes. A figure was standing in front of him, blocking the sunlight. He could not see their face. The light was too bright and coming from behind and the figure was shining…like the angel from his dream all those weeks ago. The last time the angel visited him, Soonyoung couldn't recognise them. But now there was something about the figure, something he recognised.  _

_ "Jihoon" he beamed, looking up and adoring smile on his face. _

_ The figure came closer, sitting down in front of Soonyoung. Jihoon's face, with a soft smile that reached up to eyes, filled his vision. This dream was getting better and better by the minute. _

_ "Hey..Enjoying yourself? You found the best spot in the field" Jihoon commented, folding his legs. His smile didn't falter.  _

_ "Hehe, indeed. Best spot in the entire field. But there is an even better spot, just for you" Soonyoung said smugly, arching his brow at the other boy. He really liked his dream-self's confidence. He extended his arm to Jihoon. _

_ "Oh, and where exactly would that be? Cause I can't think of any" Jihoon answered with a raised eyebrow of his own, gently placing his palm against Soonyoung's. He was definitely suspecting Soonyoung's plan, but dream Soonyoung was bold and daring and would go through with his plan no matter what. _

_ Soonyoung grabbed Jihoon's arm and pulled him against his chest, throwing the other one off balance and flush against his body. He wrapped his arms around Jihoon's shoulders and held him tight. _

_ "Right here" he muttered against Jihoon's ear. He then released the boy, allowing him to sit in a better position. Jihoon was not surprised at being pulled nor by the hug. He sat up, stretching his spine and making himself comfortable on Soonyoung's lap. His smile still on his face, silver hair slightly out of place by the impact.  _

_ Ah, his mind was doing wonders, Soonyoung had to admit. He looked up at Jihoon.  _

_ " Well, this isn't the most comfortable sit, but it definitely has the best view" Jihoon replied, laying his head against Soonyoung's shoulder. The latter felt his face burning. At the proximity, at the word he had just heard he wasn't sure. He felt Jihoon raise his head, so he turned his to face him.  _

_ Jihoon was staring into his eyes and Soonyoung felt his soul being bared. But he stared back and the dreamworld seemed to stand still. It took Soonyoung a while to realise Jihoon was leaning towards him. And suddenly their faces were a hair's width apart … _

And Soonyoung woke up. Still groggy, he reached an arm out of the covers to the nightstand for his phone. Turning on the screen, he blinked at the sudden harsh light. Great, two minutes to his alarm and no chance of getting the dream kiss. He groaned and threw off the covers. 

Soonyoung got up and blinked slowly, adjusting his brain to this surroundings. Pocketing his phone, he headed for the bathroom. After washing his face, he went to the kitchen, greeted one of his flatmates, who looked ready to face-plant in the cereal bowl in front if him, and prepared his eggs and toast for breakfast. 

Once the food was ready, he boiled some water in the kettle and prepared a steaming cup of jasmine tea. Bringing both his mug and plate at the table, he sat down and silently observed his flatmate, who had narrowly managed to avoid the bowl as he fell asleep against the table. He ate his breakfast as quietly as possible and shook his flatmate awake after washing his plate and cup. 

He then proceeded back into the bathroom to brush his teeth and relieve himself, before washing up again and returning to his room to get dressed. Once dressed he picked up his bag, and stopped in front of the mirror to card his fingers through his hair to tame the bedhead, before getting out of the room and locking the door behind him. He went by the kitchen once more to fill up his water bottle and left the flat. 

Throughout the whole walk to his first class, Soonyoung's mind kept replaying a montage of his dream, with the main highlight being those few last moments before he woke up; Jihoon, millimetres away from him, the sensation of his breath against his skin, the mischievous glint in his eyes and that smile, ah his smile that lit up Soonyoung's entire world.

Before he knew it, Soonyoung was inside the classroom, sitting in his chair with his notebook open in front of him. He looked around and reveled in those few last moments of quiet, when there are only two-three students in the room, everyone still barely awake. 

Yet like always, the magic of those moments lasts not long and is interrupted by the usual sweet trouble Soonyoung had signed himself up for all those years ago.

"Soonyoung! Good morning! Are you awake yet? Ah, I swear I would have stayed in bed, if only i hadn't missed these past two weeks of this lecture. Ah, I am tired!" Seokmin trew his weight down on the chair next to him, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Good morning Seokmin. Woke up early today I see. Good job, I am very proud of you. As a reward I'll buy you coffee after class, if you manage to stay awake for it of course" Soonyoung responded, smiling at his friend.

Instantly Seokmin sat up straight and folded his hands in front of him on the table, a comedic attempt at appearing professional and focused. Soonyoung chuckled and shook his head. He was betting his friend would fall asleep about ten minutes after the lecture started. 

Slowly the classroom filled with more sleepy students and soon the teacher came and the lecture started. Once more Soonyoung was proven right, as he saw Seokmin, from the corner of his eye, pull his hoody lower on his head and sliding down a bit on his chair. Soonyoung just rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the lecturer. 

He asked his questions and noted down the answers and made sure to keep notes, so Seokmin would be able to copy them during lunch. Class lasted two hours as always and Soonyoung gently kicked Seokmin awake once it was over. The two of them walked out of the building, bickering as Seokmin kept begging for the coffee he had been promised and Soonyoung kept reminding him that he did not fulfill his part of the deal.

In the end though, Soonyoung did buy Seokmin a can of coffee from the vending machine and a can of green tea for himself. Then off to their next class they went, joking and bickering all the way there. Just another day in university. 

The class began and finished before they knew it and it was lunch time and there they were, Soonyoung and Seokmin in the dining hall sitting on a corner table, reminiscent of this one time they almost convinced Soonyoung's dad to drink their little spice potion or the time the almost dug up Seokmin's entire garden looking for treasure. It was nice, sitting there with each other remembering and gossiping everyone and everything around them.

Their last class for the day was theory of mathematics and neither boy was able to really pay attention. Rather they just had an entire conversation on a sheet of paper and hushed whispers. Fortunately, the lecturer always uploaded the lectures to the online platform, so Soonyoung could look at them over the weekend. 

With their last class finished, they were both free to do whatever they wanted for the rest of the afternoon. They decided on a walk around the campus, before heading to Seokmin's accommodation for a study session and dinner. It was a warm afternoon, so they enjoyed their walk, little bit of people watching, little bit of cloud watching and soon they were outside Seokmin's flat.

Once inside the room, the two boys made themselves comfortable on the floor and opened up their notes and books. Soonyoung handed his physics notebook to Seokmin and had a run through his chemistry notes for tomorrow. He answered Seokmin's questions, occasionally lifting his head to encourage him or to look at his notes trying to understand what he was being asked to explain.

After two hours they called off their study session and went to the kitchen to cook some dinner. That is for Soonyoung to cook and Seokmin to watch him from a safe distance. Seokmin had a lot of vegetables in the fridge, so a vegetable stew was the easiest option. Soonyoung got Seokmin to chop up the vegetables, while he began boiling the water. Seokmin could fortunately be trusted with a knife not to chop his fingers off along with the vegetables. But he could not put anything over the fire without burning it, not even water.

Vegetables in the water boiling, tomato paste diluted in the water, spices added. Good, not every ten minutes, check the vegetables till the go soft, but before they start melting off. Then add the noodles. Soonyoung had the recipe stored I the depths of his mind. He set the timer on his phone and turned to Seokmin. 

They chatted as the soup simmered on the stove, interrupted only twice by the timer, before Soonyoung added the noodles to the broth. Within five minutes, dinner was served and the boys were happily munching on their noodles and vegetables and Seokmin was boasting about his plans of going to the pub on Friday evening and leaving it on Saturday morning. Soonyoung laughed along, joking about how he'd leave on Saturday morning because he would pass out in the pub.

When asked about his weekend plans, Soonyoung almost slipped up about his date. Almost. But he just claimed off handedly that he was going to study through the weekend, earning a scoff and a mumble of "nerd" from Seokmin. He just stuck out he tongue.

"Well, I am a nerd so that when the information cannot go through your thick skull, I can help them through" he informed his friend, earning himself a playful push. 

Seokmin washed the dishes and they returned to the room, for Soonyoung to collect his notebooks and pack his bag. With all his belongings collected, Soonyoung bid his friend farewell and headed home.

Walking back to his flat, his brain once again returned to Jihoon and their date. It was tomorrow. He needed to review his plan for tomorrow before getting a good night's sleep tonight. Once he arrived in his room, Soonyoung placed his bag on the chair and got undressed. Changing into his pyjamas, he put his clothes in the laundry basket and made a mental note to do laundry I the weekend. He went to the bathroom, brushed his teeth and washed his hands. Then he got back to his room and climbed on his bed. 

Alright, time to check the plan. So, tomorrow he is going to get up, have a light breakfast and go to class. Class finishes at 11am, so then he will go by the student shop to buy a sandwich or maybe a meal combo and return to the accommodation. He will study till about 1:30pm, have his lunch and have a nap from about 2pm to 4pm. Then, he will pick out his clothes and go have a shower. Get dressed, dry his hair, fix it and brush his teeth. Then, assuming he has managed to stick to the schedule exactly, he will have some extra time to study a bit more before having to head downstairs, meet up with Jihoon and have an awesome date.

Satisfied with having laid out his entire plan for the day that was about to dawn in around 7 hours, Soonyoung let himself relax against his pillow. Maybe he would be lucky and his brain would let him continue last night's dream. But whether or not that happens didn't really matter at that moment. What mattered was waking up in the next day and having his date. Soonyoung turned off the lights and closed his eyes.

There was a faint glow disturbing his pleasant darkness and an annoying beeping disturbing his peace. A dreamless night had come to an end. Soonyoung blinked annoyed and slammed his hand on his phone to stop the alarm, managing only to snooze it. He stretched under the sheets and sat up on the bed. The alarm went off again and this time he picked up the phone and dismissed the alarm. Time to follow the schedule. 

Soonyoung got out of bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He went to the bathroom, performed his bathroom routine and returned to the room to get dressed. Throwing on a t-shirt and a pair of comfy sweatpants, he picked up his bag and went to the kitchen locking his room behind him.

Somewhat more awake now than before, Soonyoung prepared his cup of tea and toasted a piece of toast, before sitting down at the kitchen table to enjoy his breakfast. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and checked the weather for the day as well as the daily headlines. Financial scandals, celebrity gossip, some government announcements, nothing to far from the usual. The weather was going to be nice both in the morning and the afternoon, so he should dress up lightly and maybe take his cardigan with him, just in case.

His cardigan...Wait, he didn't have his cardigan. Jihoon still had his cardigan. " _ Ah, Jihoon. I wish I could remember what happed that night. How did I give him the cardigan? Did I do something stupid? I wonder how the cardigan looks on him...He must look adorable, _ " Soonyoung mused, getting lost in his little daydream of trying to imagine the other boy in his cardigan. 

A door shutting almost made Soonyoung jump out of his skin and brought a rude end to his daydream. His flatmate, barely awake, muttered a "good morning" as he walked to his cupboard, which Soonyoung returned, still slightly startled. Finishing his tea, which had gone lukewarm, he picked up the plate and the cup, rinsed them in the sink and placed them on the drying rack. He then picked up his bag and headed out.

Today's class was in one of the buildings at the other end of campus, so as pleasant as the weather was for a walk, Soonyoung preferred to ride his bicycle there; to save time and also get some extra exercise out of it. If the weather was pleasant to walk, it was definitely pleasant to ride a bicycle. 

Arriving at the building, he secured his bicycle and headed to the classroom. He sat down in the second row, and pulled out his notebook, writing down the date in the corner. As usual the classroom was quiet; it was just him and one more girl, sitting somewhere in the fifth row. This was the only class he took that Seokmin didn't, so he could enjoy his peace for a while longer. Optional classes are a blessing. 

All prepared for the lecture, Soonyoung could now relax a bit and confer with his schedule for the day...and plan his date of course.

Getting up, check.

Having breakfast, check. 

Getting to class, check.

Now, once class was finished, he would go by the student shop, get his lunch and head home. That was the next step in his schedule. He knew he had repeated the schedule in his brain a thousand times, but it always made him feel better, to do it again; just to make sure he didn't forget.

The classroom lights got turned on, and Soonyoung tried to bring his attention to the lecturer as the class started. But his mind kept running back to the date planning, making up different scenarios of how it might play out this afternoon. 

Assuming everything went according to plan, he would be well rested and clean by 6:45pm and he would be able to head downstairs and wait for Jihoon. His date would show up, looking gorgeous, and for a few seconds the world would stop spinning. Once he had his composure back, they would head to town. The restaurant they were going to did not require bookings and it wasn't that popular that he would have to worry about not being able to get a table.

Once at the restaurant, they would get their food and then Soonyoung could get more information on the other boy and this time manage to retain it in his brain. They would have a great night, enjoying good food and each other's company, and then they would return to the campus and maybe Soonyoung would be able to convince Jihoon to let him walk him back to his accommodation. A wonderful night.

Or…

Or the night might turn a bit more romantic. The two of them, having dinner together, learning more and more about each other, and slowly their surroundings blend away and become a distant sensation. Maybe they end up staring at each other for a while, getting lost in each other's eyes. They walk together back, holding hands with the street lamps guiding them to campus and the moon being their only guide past the gates. They would walk to Jihoon's accommodation and stop outside the entrance of the building. Then maybe Soonyoung would step closer and tell Jihoon how he feels. He would give him a minute to let it sink in and then in his perfect scenario Jihoon would smile back at him and Soonyoung would pull him to the shadows, next to the entrance. Maybe a quick peck, maybe just a gentle touch of the lips…

The sound of students moving around him brought him back to the present. The class had just ended and Soonyoung was torn between believing that the class ended to fast or feeling like the damned lecture lasted eons. Either way, he quickly packed his notebook, in which he had apparently managed to note a decent amount of what had been said in the lecture despite being distracted by his imaginary date.

As he walked to the student shop, he thought back to the two date versions his brain came up with. Although the first version was much more likely, a man could dream. The second version, his personal favourite, might have to wait a few dates. He entered the shop and headed to the refrigerator area. He was indecisive between a simple ham and cheese sandwich or a gimbap dosirak for his meal deal. He went for the gimbap; more variety, more nutrition. He also grabbed a can of green tea and a packet of sweet potato chips and headed to the tills. 

Once he paid for his meal, he hopped on his bicycle once again and rode to the accommodation. Once inside the flat, he put the gimbap and the tea on his shelf in the fridge and went to his room. Time to study. The time was 12pm, he had one and a half hour to study before lunch. He set a timer on his phone to make sure he would not run off schedule and buried himself in his books.

Before he knew it, the timer was ringing. Soonyoung had gotten so emerged in his study that he lost track of time. Either way, he was going to stick to schedule. He closed his books and headed to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and took out his lunch. Sitting down at the kitchen table, he browsed through YouTube for a while before settling on a video on the greatest vacation spots in the world to keep him entertained while he ate.

By the time the video was finished, Soonyoung had just popped the last bite of food into his mouth, which he washed down with the last ship of his unsweetened tea. He checked his watch. He had actually managed to finish his lunch faster than he had calculated. Well, some extra sleep would not hurt him. Soonyoung returned to his room and got on the bed, laying on top of the covers. Turning to the inner side of the bed, he set the alarm, placed the phone on the bed behind him, curled up and fell into a dreamless sleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.

He felt a vibration under his back, and a dull sound interrupting the peace of his sleep. That had to be his alarm; he had gotten used to that interruption of his peaceful sleep. Soonyoung sat up on his bed, blinking slowly and still disoriented from sleep. He blindly searched behind his back, grabbing his phone and shutting down the alarm. He shook his head and got up. An impulsive thought made him decide to first take a shower and then decide what to wear. Wash the sleep away and choose clothes with a clear mind. He picked up a clean pair of underwear and went to the bathroom. 

Once in the bathroom, he stripped off his clothes, and after folding his tshirt and sweatpants, he entered the shower. Turning the water towards the cool side he turned it on and let the cold water wake him up. Almond milk shampoo, honey conditioner and lemon body wash and he was awake and clear minded. Well, as clear minded as he could be, knowing the date was quickly approaching. Three hours left.

Soonyoung stepped out of the shower and dabbled himself dry with his navy, fluffy towel. He put on his underwear, somewhat dried his hair with the hair towel, hung both towels on the rack and got out of the bathroom. He opened up his wardrobe and stood in front of it and let his brain run through the various combinations of clothes he could wear.

In the end he settled for his grey skinny jeans and his navy linen shirt. It was going to be a warm night, and since he didn't have his cardigan...well he had to make an impression. Not that he would need the cardigan but anyway. He put on his trousers and rolled up the cuffs. He pulled on a pair of black socks and his grey Vans. Standing up, he put deodorant and threw his shirt on. 

He checked the time on his phone, only to realise he was running a bit behind on his schedule. He still had time though. Good. Placing the phone in his pocket, along with his wallet, he stood in front of the mirror and run his fingers through his hair, trying to give them some sort of not too obvious styling. Fluffed up? Pushed back? No, no neither looked good enough. Soonyoung shook his fingers in frustration…forgetting that they were still in his hair. The result? Ruffled hair, sticking up on every single weird angle imaginable.

He looked weird. Ah, what should he do? He pulled out his phone to check the time. 6:30pm?!?! How could it be already 6:30? He didn't have time to do much, so Soonyoung at least tried to bring down the odd spikes that crowned his head. Once he was sure he didn't appear like he had been struck by lightening, he grabbed his keys and walked out the door.

Locking the door behind him and checking twice that it is locked, he walked across the flat and out the central door. Down the stairs, out the main entrance door; perfect. He pulled out his phone and checked the time. 6:45. Huh, so it only took him about a quarter to get himself presentable and out the door. He had also managed to be early; good. Soonyoung gave himself a mental pat on the back for managing that, even though he went a bit off schedule. Now he just had to wait for Jihoon and see which scenario would unfold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter was getting to long and as always I enjoy leaving you in anticipation and craving for more. I will endeavour to be back as soon as possible.
> 
> Until then, stay healthy and safe everyone


	11. Date discovered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally the second date has arrived. But there is an unexpected surprise to Soonyoung's meticulous plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, speedy update for all of you dear people still reading this. Hopefully you will like it. If you don't I am sorry, I did my best. Enjoy ^.^

Soonyoung's mind returned to his earlier scenarios. He focused on the most probable one; to save himself from having his expectations crushed and to actually have a more developed plan for the evening. His brain began its calculations. 

He was so focused, he didn't notice Jihoon arrive. Jihoon stood for a moment, across from Soonyoung and away from the range of the light, observing him, all lost in his thoughts. His eyes unfocused, staring at the ground and Jihoon could see all the little wheels turning in his head. Jihoon contemplated how to get Soonyoung's attention. Should he call him or just close the distance and wait to be noticed?

The latter sounded like a much more tantalising idea. Only the thought of Soonyoung's flustered expression upon noticing him was enough to influence his decision. Jihoon silently walked closer to the boy, standing just outside of Soonyoung's field of vision. He waited, smiling to himself and waiting for Soonyoung to look slightly up.

_Wonderful, _Soonyoung thought. As long as the night ended in him escorting Jihoon home, he would consider the night a successful step in setting the mood to confess. And that would be a win by his book. He wasn't sure how long he had been lost in his thoughts. He should check the time and see if he had any messages. He absent-mindedly pulled the phone out of his pocket and almost dropped it in shock, when he noticed the sneakers in front of him.

He raised his head slowly and he found swear his heart stopped beating. Jihoon stood an arm's length away from him, with an amused smile gracing his face. The twilight, colouring the sky, perfectly complemented his olive long sleeved shirt and turned once again his fine silver hair into a fiery halo.

_An angel. I swear an angel is standing in front of me. Ah, he is so beautiful. Am I awake right now? Perhaps I am still dreaming … Am i breathing? I am not sure I am breathing right now… _Soonyoung could feel the blush creeping all over his visible skin. All he could do at that moment was smile like an idiot and shyly wave at Jihoon, not trusting his voice to actually greet him with words. He also drew in a breath, confirming his earlier suspicions that he wasn't breathing for a while.

Jihoon felt the satisfaction wash over every fiber of his body. Ah, the surprise on his face… and that blush…wonderful. The little wave Soonyoung gave him made it really hard for him to maintain his composure and not laugh. He almost felt pity for Soonyoung, being so flabbergasted. Jihoon had almost literally thrown on the first shirt he had seen upon opening his closet and Soonyoung was looking at him like he was wearing royal purpura. Before he could process it, he heard himself say:

"That blush suits you. You do look cute when you get all shy. Shall we?"

Jihoon was convinced that Soonyoung could not turn more red than the colour he was. Jihoon was proven wrong. Soonyoung's eyes widened almost comically, his mouth fell slightly open and he stared at Jihoon for a moment, before ducking his head to the ground. Jihoon was certain that if there was more light at this hour he would be able to see the blush creep up to Soonyoung's hair roots. But for now he was pleasantly surprised by the fact that Soonyoung's ears became visibly red under the ends of his blond hair.

However Jihoon also felt a blush of his own make its appearance. Thus as soon as Soonyoung turned his eyes to the ground he took a few steps towards the exit of the campus. Although he had every intention to tease Soonyoung for a while longer, somehow that comment slipped by. Well, at least he had a cool delivery… hopefully. He turned back to look at Soonyoung, still staring at his shoes.

"Are you coming? As much as it pains me to admit, you are the one who knows the way to the restaurant and I will once again have to blindly follow you. I have really been looking forward to this" Jihoon remarked, making sure to add a slightly flirty tone to the end of his sentence.

Soonyoung was still trying to process the previous statement.  _ He called me… cute. He said I look cute. Ah, I could die a happy man right now. He thinks I am cute. Wait he said something. I should at least look at him. Oh but how do I face him? I must look ridiculously red right now...ah what do I do? His voice sound like it is coming from further away… _

Cautiously Soonyoung raised his head to look at the spot where his date had been previously standing, but found none there. A small snort guided him to the correct direction. Jihoon was standing a few feet away, looking at him with mild amusement.

"Well, are you coming? I am getting hungry" Jihoon chimed. Soonyoung was staring at him like a lost puppy before regaining his composure and running up to him in three steps. Once he was next to him, Soonyoung beamed at him for a second before turning his head and muttering:

"You look very handsome tonight." If Jihoon hadn't really been paying attention he would have missed the comment. He mutterd a thanks and the two boys began their walk out of the campus. Soonyoung's accommodation was not too far from the main gate, so the walk up to it was a comfortable silence while the two boys were preparing each a conversation starter.

Once outside the gate, both boys turned to each other ready to begin a conversation, but Jihoon swiftly closed his mouth to let Soonyoung take the lead. Soonyoung smiled.

"So, how have you been? I am sure classes have been a nightmare. Mine certainly have been" Soonyoung exclaimed, putting his hands in his pockets in an attempt to hide his embarrassment at not being able to come up with a better topic.

"Yeah, things have been kinda hectic since the midterms. I ended up with a lot of assignments. I spent every single day entirely in the library" Jihoon replied earnestly.  _ I kinda expected you would pop in  _ he added mentally. 

" Ah, I kept saying I'd go by the library, but I was always too tired. I have many classes during the week, so I needed up doing all my studying at my dorm" Soonyoung answered, and Jihoon was almost convinced the mother boy could read his thoughts.

"I...I kinda kept thinking that if I went to the library I..I'd be able to see you.." Soonyoung continued, his embarrassment flaring up once more. Now he waited with baited breath for Jihoon's reaction. He did expect the silence he he got, he just didn't expect it to last that long. He turned around, as he had walked a few steps further in front of his date.

Jihoon stood there, looking at him with a fond smile spreading across his face and Soonyoung felt like he was struck by lightning.  _ Finally, finally I got to see a proper smile. Ah, now I just want to keep him smiling forever. I want to see more...I want to see him happy, sad, embarrassed...I want to see everything.  _

At that moment Jihoon felt beyond embarrassed. But there was something very endearing about Soonyoung's hesitation and the look of utter adoration on his face at that moment ( of which Jihoon was certain Soonyoung was completely unaware). Jihoon's resolve on teasing the boy of as long as possible began to waver. But he would let Soonyoung be the one to take the first step down that road.

Jihoon closed the distance between them. Standing now next to Soonyoung, he pulled on his sleeve, getting the evidently embarrassed and slightly distressed Soonyoung to bend a bit, bringing his head closer to the other boy. Jihoon, maintaining his front smile, simply raised his hand and softly ruffled Soonyoung's hair. Then, as he brought his hand down, he let his fingers linger for a minute on Soonyoung's cheek, before bringing it down, taking a step forward and turning back to him.

"Shall we keep walking? I will be very upset if we arrive at the restaurant and we can't eat because either there are no tables or no more food left. I am sure we will be able to talk at the restaurant as well. Unless you are planning to stuff your face with food, which would give me a chance to talk more for a change" Jihoon joked.

Soonyoung was speechless, but he managed to beam at Jihoon and get by his side. He could still feel Jihoon's hand in his hair, his fingers against his cheek, and the feeling kept stealing away his breath. He really wanted to get Jihoon to talk, get him to show more emotions, preferably get him to laugh. But first, he definitely wanted to unknot the knot his tongue had been tied into.

Fortunately for him, Jihoon provided an easy topic of conversation, which would not really satisfy Soonyoung's wish of getting the other boy to talk more, but provided an instant solution to his current problem. 

"So, that restaurant we are going to...what's it like? I assume you have been there before" Jihoon questioned, turning with a half smile to the taller boy.

"Ah, yeah I have been there a couple of times. It is not a very popular shop, so there is no worry of not being able to find a table. The food is good and … well it is a quiet shop...I think you'll like it" Soonyoung responded, smiling brightly at Jihoon. 

He then went on to talk about a couple of dishes he really liked in that restaurant and also about that peculiar tea they make there, whose name he couldn't quite remember at that moment. And Jihoon just listened to him talk, getting more and more excited as he tried to explain the different options of food and drinks, and he just couldn't keep himself from smiling at Soonyoung's excitement and how it lit up his entire face.

They had already crossed the main street and were now walking in the small paths between the buildings. Suddenly, Soonyoung stopped walking.

"We've arrived. So...what do you think?" he said looking at Jihoon expectantly. Soonyoung had not lied when he said that it was a small shop. Jihoon wondered if it could possibly have even 20 tables. There were some empty tables, but it did appear rather busy. Yet the warm orange glow emminating from it was very welcoming. 

"It looks cosy. Shall we? All the walking made me hungrier. I am starving…" Jihoon mock-complained. Soonyoung laughed and pulled the door open, gesturing for Jihoon to walk in first. Once inside, Jihoon's lungs filled with the delicious scent of broth cooking and the spice in the air. He looked around, and walked towards a corner table by the window.

Both boys, now sitting down,surveyed the restaurant. All around them happy customers, enjoying their food and beverages and chatting. Soonyoung found the buffet and offered to get them their first order. Jihoon bashfully made his request and observed Soonyoung as the latter made his way to the buffet. About five minutes passed and Soonyoung was back at their table with a serving tray, balancing two large bowls and a small teapot. Setting the tray on the table, he placed the teapot at the centre, and placed in front of Jihoon a bowl of black bean noodles and at his seat the other bowl, which contained a healthy portion of miso ramen.

"I got us some chrysanthemum tea. That was what I was talking about earlier. I don't know what it is about this ship but they make it really special" Soonyoung enthused, eyes sparkling in the low light. He turned the cups on the table upright and carefully poured some tea, first into Jihoon's cup and then his own. He then waited attentively for Jihoon to try the tea.

Jihoon looked at the cup and then at Soonyoung. If he was a puppy, Soonyoung would be wagging his tail in excitement, Jihoon was certain. The image of puppy Soonyoung made him feel warm inside. Jihoon lifted the cup and inhaled the rich fragrance, before sipping carefully. The light flavour of the tea was refreshing. He looked at Soonyoung and smiled brightly for an instant. That was all it took for Soonyoung to let his bright smile reach up to his ears and down his own cup, momentarily forgetting that the contents of his cup were hot.

Drawing fast, open mouthed breaths Soonyoung tried to cool off his mouth desperately. Then, suddenly the noise of the restaurant faded away; he heard the most wonderful sound and he looked across. Jihoon was almost folded over the table, laughing breathlessly, his head pressed against the table a few centimetres away from the bowl.

Soonyoung forgot all about the dull throbbing of his mouth. He just sat there completely mesmerised by the laughter; and he waited for Jihoon to regain his breath and raise his head again. Once the latter did so, Soonyoung smiled at him.

" I am glad I was able to provide you with some entertainment along with your meal" he jested.

"Oh, that was a good one. Ah, Soonyoung you are a funny one aren't you?" Jihoon noted, still somewhat breathless. 

Soonyoung's heart soared at the sound of his name.  _ Ah, the way he says it … my name from his lips … I wonder ...maybe I should try out his name...see his reaction  _

"Well, if you say so, I am happy. As long as I can make you laugh, Jihoon, I feel blessed. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to visit the bathroom" Soonyoung boldly stated, got up (before all the blood running through his body made it's way to his face), and briskly walked to the bathroom. Arriving at his destination, he carefully locked the door behind him and opened the faucet, letting the cold water run. For a few seconds he contemplated dunking his head under the water to cool down, but settled for splashing his face instead. 

_ I did it...I said his name. Ah...it felt ...it felt ...it felt amazing. I wonder how he felt.. Can I dare hope that he might have felt like I feel when I hear him say my name ? Or maybe it made no difference to him…No, no. I will not go down that hole. I will hope!  _ Soonyoung's thoughts were a jamble; and the memory of Jihoon's laughter made him throw more water on his face.

Meanwhile at the table, Jihoon was staring towards the direction where Soonyoung ran off. For once he found himself lost in his own thoughts and a deep part of him brain wondered whether he looked half as adorable as Soonyoung looked when this sort of thing happened.

_ So that is what my name sounds uttered by him. I like it. He is… he is fascinating. I form an opinion and then he says something or he smiles and brightens the room and everything changes. Ah, maybe I shouldn't tease him too much tonight…but I can't help teasing him. He looks so cute trying to figure out a way to answer or being embarrassed. Ah well, I'll try and get more information from him when he gets back. Maybe I'll ask about his plans for the summer break. _

Thus he stared absent-mindedly as he waited for Soonyoung to come back. He heard the shop door open and at the edge of his vision he saw a group of students entering and sitting at the other side of the restaurant, but he paid them no mind. Jihoon decided to try his food, just out of pure curiosity (and also maybe because he hadn't had lunch and he was rather hungry). He picked up his chopsticks and tried the noodles. The food had cooled down a bit since Soonyoung brought it to the table and its temperature properly brought out the different flavours of the dish. Soonyoung was right. Jihoon did like this restaurant. 

Having sufficiently cooled down (and partially dried down his shirt that had gotten splashed in the cooling down process), Soonyoung got out of the bathroom and retired to his seat.

Upon sitting down, he smiled at Jihoon, who was once again observing him with a mixture of curiosity and amusement on his face. Picking up his chopsticks, he looked at Jihoon, inviting him to also enjoy his meal. Jihoon responded to the silent invitation by picking up his own chopsticks, which he had placed back on their rest after trying his food earlier. 

The two boys enjoyed their meal and each other's company. Jihoon asked Soonyoung about his summer plans just as he had planned, and Soonyoung excitedly spoke of his intention to go home and see his family and also of how his family usually take a trip to the beach or a lake for a weekend every summer. Then it was Soonyoung's turn to ask after Jihoon's summer plans. Jihoon indulged him, telling him of his own plans to visit home, his parents and his dog for a week in the summer, as his parents were rather busy during that time of the year.

Soonyoung felt a tinge of sadness, hearing the bitten back bitterness in Jihoon's voice. He was ready to offer Jihoon some extra vacation at his place if he wanted, when he heard a voice calling him that made his blood freeze in his veins.

"Soonyoung! Hey, Soonyoung! I didn't expect you to be here! Hey, Soonyoung! Don't ignore me!!!"

Seokmin. Why in the name of hell was Seokmin in the restaurant? Why did he have to be in that restaurant at that time? And why did he sound drunk? 

Soonyoung felt rather than saw his friend sit down next to him. He smiled apologetically at Jihoon, who had arched an eyebrow at the sudden interruption. Seokmin threw his head on Soonyoung's shoulder. 

"Seokmin, are you alright? What are you doing here?"

"Youngie….I am dizzy. I drank too much…The others said we gotta eat and this was the first place we saw. I don't feel good…" Seokmin whined, burying his head further in the crook of the other boy's neck. 

"What others? Seokmin, where are the others? Have you been drinking on an empty stomach? Actually, first of all, have you been drinking?" Soonyoung tried to rein in the panic he felt spreading at the back of his brain. Seokmin nodded.

Seeing Soonyoung upset, Jihoon attempted to gain more information on the situation. 

"Soonyoung, what is going on? Who is he?" Jihoon managed to hide the punch of jealousy he felt at the proximity this newcomer had to Soonyoung. 

Jihoon's interjection made Seokmin take notice of him for the first time. The younger boy turned his head to look at the boy sitting across from him and his friend. 

"Youngie...who's he? Soonyoung, you have a new friend I dont know about? Or is he more than just a friend? Either way, why dont I know about him?" Seokmin sat up as straight as possible, a devious smile slowly appearing on his face as he stared at Jihoon, before addressing him.

" Hi, I am Seokmin, Soonyoung childhood friend. I can be your source for all his embarrassing childhood stories and it will be my greatest pleasure to provide you with said-" he managed before being silenced by Soonyoung, who promptly covered Seokmin's mouth with his hand.

"I am so sorry about him. He is indeed my childhood friend, who will pay very dearly if he doesn't stop running his mouth right now. Min-min, this is Jihoon and you are being very rude right now to him" Soonyoung muttered. Seokmin whined in response to the accusations and the nickname, while Jihoon hid a smile that slipped through after noticing the red tips of Soonyoung's ears poking out of his hair. 

"Pleasure to meet you. I will let you know when I have need of the childhood stories your willing to offer" Jihoon retorted, mischievously glancing at Soonyoung, when he let out an exasperated sigh. 

"I'll be happy to oblige " Seokmin responded as a wide smile graced his face.

"Well before you oblige him at this, I am afraid that you and I, Min-min, have to be going. You need to get to bed and you need some water and painkillers and I assume food. Now, up you go" Soonyoung enphasased, pushing Seokmin to his feet. 

"You are not my mom, Soonyoung. I wanna get to know your friend here a bit more" Seokmin tried to sound angry.

"No, I am not your mother Min-min. But maybe I should call your mother and let her know that her son is almost black out drunk at 10:30pm. How does that sound?" Soonyoung argued. Seokmin thought of arguing back, but promptly shut his mouth and lowered his head. Soonyoung turned to Jihoon. 

"I am so sorry our dinner had to be cut short by this idiot. I promise I'll make it up to you and your earliest convenience. I really need to get him back. The dinner is on me, I have already paid, so you can eat some more if you want or just enjoy the atmosphere a while longer. Are you gonna be alright returning back on your own?" Soonyoung apologised, his worry evident in his voice. Jihoon smiled at him.

"Don't worry about me. Get him to bed. I'll let you know when I have time again and we'll make arrangements. Our next dinner will be on me though" he reassured the other boy.

"Ah, yes before I forget" Jihoon exclaimed and opened his bag, pulling out a paper bag "your sweater. Thank you for lending it to me. Have a good night and text me that everything is ok" he continued. 

"Thanks. I'll let you know when I get him to bed. Promise you'll also text me when you get to your room? I had planned a better ending to our evening, but oh well" Soonyoung tried to joke, sighing in relief when Jihoon agreed to text him. He took the bag from his date and bid him farewell, getting a sleepy Seokmin to also say good night. Pulling the sleepy boy behind him, Soonyoung left the restaurant and headed back to campus.

Jihoon sat there, still a little bit bewildered at the scene that had unfolded in front of him. He wondered what was it that stressed Soonyoung so much. He considered asking about it in a message once he had received Soonyoung's message, but decided it would be better not to bring it up. Despite being told and having the information confirmed by Soonyoung, Jihoon still felt a bit jealous at the familiarity between the two boys.

_ Well, Soonyoung seems to be treating him like a little brother. Ah, Seokmin was right. He did sound like a worried mother for a few minutes.  _ Jihoon laughed to himself. He looked around at the other patrons, happily enjoying their meals. He should at least finish the meal Soonyoung had paid for. Thus he picked up his chopsticks and turned his attention to his plate. 

Once the plate was empty, he carefully returned the tray with both plates to the return station and collected his things. He was at the door when his phone buzzed.

**Hey. I am sorry for leaving you. We made it back to Seokmin's accommodation. I really enjoyed our dinner, although it was cut quite short. I'll make it up to you soon. Goodnight, sleep well and text me that you are home.**

Jihoon smiled at the text and typed a short reply. Then he slowly made his way back, taking in the sight of the night city slowly coming alive.

~○~○~○~○~

Soonyoung's face lit up as he got Jihoon's reply.  _ Short and clear as always. Ah, I really did not expect this ending in our night…  _ his brain cried. Seokmin walked through the door and sat down next to him. The younger had already put on his pyjamas and taken the painkillers and a glass of water was on the nightstand. Dropping his head against his friend's shoulder he quietly asked:

"Hey, Soonyoung...I kinda ruined your date there didn't I? I am sorry. He really seems like a really nice guy. You two look really good together."

"I have to admit that after having planned a variety of different scenarios about how this night might go, in none of them did I expect you showing up. It's alright. If this didn't scare him too much, I might get another chance with him" Soonyoung chuckled bitterly. 

"Now, Min-min, this is important. I am not saying don't drink at all, although that is definitely what I should be saying, but I will once again remind you not to drink more than a beer when you are outside of campus. Remember that no matter how smart you are, you are still under the legal drinking age in this country, and officially people could get arrested for serving you alcohol. Do I make myself clear?" Soonyoung scolded his friend.

"Ah, yes yes, fine. You are right" Seokmin admitted sheepishly. "But, how is it ok to drink on campus and not outside of it?" he asked with genuine curiosity. 

"Because the student bar and the shop, don't sell very heavy alcohol or beers. They are accustomed to working with sneaky students who want to get drunk, so they offer beers with lower percentage of alcohol to ensure that students don't get too drunk too fast. Also, because the student bar is closer to you accommodation than any city bar. Less chances of you passing out in an unknown spot" Soonyoung explained, sounding almost comically teacher-like. 

Seokmin smiled and fell back on the bed. He wriggled his way up to the pillows before looking up at Soonyoung. 

"Thanks for taking care of me again. I would be lost without you. And sorry again for ruining your date. I'll be fine on my own. Go rest. I am sure he'll give you another chance."

"Thanks. Sleep well, and dont forget to take your painkillers in the morning after you eat something" Soonyoung reminded his friend before picking up the paper bag he got from Jihoon and heading back to his accommodation. 

Once he got inside the room, he toed off his shoes and fell on the bed, face first. He felt his pocket vibrate.

**Hey, I just arrived in my room. Thanks for the dinner. I hope we can do this again soon.**

He caught his reflection on the screen, grinning like an idiot. He quickly texted a thank you to Jihoon for informing him and sat up to open the bag. Inside the paper bag, his cardigan perfectly folded. He pulled it out and unfolded it, before bringing it to his nose in hope of catching a whiff of Jihoon's scent on it. As it unfolded a single yellow tulip fell against his duvet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yellow Tulip: Sunshine in your smile
> 
> Hehehehe  
I had a lot of fun writing in excruciating detail Soonyoung's expectations of the night, while knowing the unexpected turn of events 😈.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I will be back soon. Till then
> 
> Stay healthy and stay safe ^.^


	12. Hidden messages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new routine has been created. But what happens when an important date catches Jihoon unprepared? How does he manage to save it? And how does Soonyoung react to it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my dear readers. I am back with a new chapter that might not might not be what you have been waiting for. I did my best and hopefully I managed. Enjoy ^.^

After their last date was cut short due to Seokmin's unexpected 'intervention' (though he had honestly forgiven his friend for it), Soonyoung was more than desperate to arrange the make up date with Jihoon. He was more desperate than ever before now that he had a slight indication that the other boy might return his feelings.

However, the universe was not on his side. Whenever he found some time, Jihoon was busy and whenever Jihoon was free, he had a lab to attend or a report to write. So they compromised. Since neither of them had time for a proper date, they settled for short study dates in the library. They would meet and sit down in a corner table on whichever floor was more peaceful and less busy. Then they could each study their own thing, while enjoying each others company and occasionally chatting in whispers. 

These study dates gave Jihoon the chance to pass Soonyoung a copy of " _ The Witch of Portobello" _ , the book he had promised to lend him ( without originally telling him that the book was his to keep). They would usually stay until the library closed for the night, but sometimes either one might have had to leave earlier. Those day were the most difficult for Soonyoung. Having to leave Jihoon behind was harder than having to watch him go. In the latter case, he could not do anything about it and he could accept that. But in the former case, every fiber of his being kept telling him to stay; and early morning classes or labs be damned.

Soon May turned to June and the cool spring evening breezes turned to warm and humid summer afternoons. It was an afternoon in the middle of June, when Soonyoung found himself running rather late for his study appointment. He carried in his bag the book he had borrowed from Jihoon and he didn't really want to ran the distance from the Chemistry lab to the library, in case the book got damaged in his bag. He really wanted to return it in pristine condition. Walking fast, he managed to arrive at the library 15 minutes late. He pulled out his phone to remind himself of the floor on which Jihoon was. 

He had informed the other boy of his delay and his anticipation to see him made Soonyoung wish he could just grow wings so he would make it to the third floor in an instant. But unfortunately he had to settle for climbing the stars there. Upon arriving at the floor he headed for their usual table, hidden in the far end, relief washing over him once he saw Jihoon bent over his book there.

Soonyoung slid in the chair as silently as possible. Fortunately it was not silent enough as to not alert Jihoon of his arrival. The other boy lifted his head and smiled.

"Welcome. Did you ran up the stairs? Take sometime to regain your breath before answering" Jihoon whispered, his low voice sending pleasant chills down Soonyoung's spine.

"Yeah...I kinda did. Sorry, I just really wanted to get here as soon as possible. I promise to walk more slowly next time" Soonyoung huffed, trying to not sound as out of breath as he truly was. Jihoon just shook his head, smiling. Soonyoung's breath slowly returned as he pulled out his Chemistry notes and set them on the table in front of him. He got up from his chair.

"I'm gonna go fill my water bottle at the cooler. Do you want me to get you some water as well?" Soonyoung whispered to Jihoon, who dug through his bag and pulled out his water bottle and handed it to the other boy. Soonyoung smiled widely and took off towards the water fountain at the other side of the floor. As he was walking away, Jihoon smiled to himself, his brain continuing its simile of Soonyoung to a puppy. He could almost see a tail wagging behind Soonyoung as he walked away. 

His thoughts were interrupted by the short buzzing of a phone, indicating the arrival of a message. But it wasn't his phone, which was in his pocket. It was Soonyoung's phone on the table, which continued buzzing at random short intervals and its screen flashing. The table underneath seemed to be amplifying the sound, creating a slight echo around the room. He contemplated picking the phone off the table, just to eliminate the echo. But then again he didn't want to accidentally invade Soonyoung's privacy, if he happed to catch a glimpse of a message.

The phone buzzed again and in his peripheral vision, Jihoon noticed a pair of students lifting their heads and looking around in annoyance. Well, he should at least move the phone to reduce the sound. He picked it up, intending to place it on top of Soonyoung's notebook, when it buzzed again. He just couldn't help but steal a glance at the screen.

**Happy Birthday. I hope you have had a good day and will have an even better night. **

_ Happy birthday? It's his birthday today? Damn it! That is something I should have asked already! Ah, I am such an idiot. I should have something to give him. _ Jihoon's brain went into overdrive. How could he have forgotten to ask about such a vital piece of information as Soonyoung's birthday? To be fair, the topic of birthdays never really came up in conversation. Either way it was terrible of him not to have asked. He just sat there lost in his thoughts, still holding Soonyoung's phone in the air. It was still buzzing, but at least the noise was not that bothersome anymore.

The sound of someone sliding in the chair across from him, shook Jihoon out of the thought trance he had fallen into. Looking up, he saw Soonyoung smiling at him, holding two almost full water bottles. 

"Sorry. The cooler had quite the queue, but I managed to get both of us water. Are you ok? You seemed a little lost in your thoughts when I got back" Soonyoung observed. 

"Yeah, sorry. Thanks for bringing me water. Um, your phone kept buzzing, so I picked it off the table. I am sorry, I caught a glance of a message accidentally " Jihoon apologised, but Soonyoung's smile also turned apologetic.

"Sorry for my phone buzzing constantly. It must have been really distracting. Its fine, it is going to be a busy afternoon for my phone so you would eventually catch wind of it. It's my birthday today, so I have been getting calls and texts non stop since the time i woke up. Actually I was woken up by a call…" Soonyoung revealed, making Jihoon curse internally once again for his stupidity at not asking. But before he could congratulate Soonyoung, the other boy continued.

"Ah, yes before I forget...thanks for lending me the book. I just finished it. You were right it was great. I really liked it" he said, taking the book out of his bag and placing it on the table. Jihoon looked at the book, and suddenly all the thoughts that had been plaguing him for the past ten minutes, disappeared. He pulled the book infront of him, opened it to the first page and picked up his pen. He quickly scribbled a short message and closing the book, he pushed it back towards Soonyoung. 

"Happy birthday then. Keep the book it's yours. I have another copy of it, so you can keep this one. It is your birthday gift from me" Jihoon murmured, looking at Soonyoung through his bangs and giving him a shy, gentle smile. 

Soonyoung stared at the book in front of him, speechless for half a minute. Then he made the mistake of looking at Jihoon. His surroundings disappeared. Time didn't matter; Soonyoung couldn't even hear his watch tick the seconds away. Nothing mattered. Nothing apart from Jihoon's face.

_ Ah, that smile… I must be dreaming, this is unreal. How can anyone be that gorgeous? I really want to kiss him right now…but I… I shouldn't. Not yet… Ah, he is beautiful. His eyes...I am getting lost in them… _ Soonyoung was convinced the only thing still functioning in his body was his brain.

_ He is adorable. I wonder… what could he be thinking right now? He looks hesitant; maybe a bit worried I would say...Maybe it is desperation I am misinterpreting … but desperation for what? Ah, I wonder… how would he react if I kissed him? Maybe I should. Just stand up, stretch over the desk; close the distance between us. Maybe just a peck; just a touch of the lips. His lips look so soft… _ Jihoon's thoughts turned devious. He considered it. He really wanted to see how Soonyoung would react; he was willing to bet the other boy would be stunned and that was an image Jihoon really wanted to see to be able to burn into his brain.

The two boys sat there staring into each others eyes, completely mesmerized; neither was sure how long had passed and neither moved a muscle. They didn't care what was going on around them, whether they were being watched or not; whether there even were any other people in the library. All that mattered was the person sitting across from them.

Their magical moment however was interrupted by the buzzing of a phone. A new message for Soonyoung. But Jihoon also felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. Continuously. A phone call. With great regret, both turned to their phones, and Jihoon got up and hurriedly walked away from the study area to the further corner behind the bookshelves. Soonyoung read the message he had received from his cousin and replied with a "thank you" and a couple of emojis. 

Putting his phone down on the table, Soonyoung's brain flooded.  _ Damn the bloody messages. We were having a moment, why did the bloody message have to arrive right that moment? Ah, if i only had had the guts to make a move. Just stretch my arm, hold his hand. I just couldn't move though...ah, I could see the world in his eyes _

Soonyoung turned his attention to the book in front of him. He read again Jihoon's message, a smile spreading across his face.

_ Happy birthday Soonyoung. I hope this book will keep you company in all your lonely moments.  _

_ Jihoon  _

The neat handwriting, the fact that Jihoon did not apply to much pressure when writing and the contents of the message; everything gave off this sense of familiarity that added more and more fondness and warmth to Soonyoung's smile. He knew this book has just become his most treasured possession. At that moment this paperback was the best gift he had ever received. His phone buzzed again. A message from Seokmin. 

**Come to the student shop. It is time for the birthday tradition. **

Soonyoung sighed and looked around. Jihoon still hadn't returned nor could he see him. He pulled out a page from his note book and scribbled an apology, before packing his things and leaving the library. Once outside, he briskly walked towards the shop. Having lost track of time, Soonyoung was surprised for a moment upon walking out in the darkness of night, although the campus was well lit.

He arrived at the shop and there was Seokmin, with a bottle of strawberry soy milk and a box of yagkwa in each hand. Their birthday tradition, dating back as far as their friendship. They sat down at a bench next to the shop, enjoying their little traditional meal, laughing and reminiscing how something never change. Once they ran out of cookies and they had enjoyed their last sip of milk, it was time for each one to head back to their rooms. Throwing the bottles and boxes away, Soonyoung turned back to his friend and pulled him in a short hug, thanking him for the treat and wishing him good night.

Soonyoung walked slowly back to his accommodation, feeling rather full after having eaten an entire box of yagkwa. It was totally worth it, but still they were a bit heavy for the stomach. Thankfully they were good for his health. He arrived at his accommodation and stood outside for a moment, contemplating the opportunities he missed today. He saw something move at the edge of his vision. 

"Now now, I have to admit I was quite disappointed to return and not find you at the table. But from your message - thank you for the note by the way- I deduced your probably be heading home after your meeting with Seokmin. So here I am" Jihoon walked out if the shadows of the building.

Soonyoung was not sure whether he should laugh at the cliche appearance Jihoon made that was a perfect fit to a film noir or to melt in a puddle at the fact that Jihoon was actually there waiting for him.

"It didn't feel right to just get up and leave without saying anything. But I couldn't find you so I settled for the next best option of leaving you a note. I am glad you got my note" Soonyoung responded, a bright smile appearing in his face. "You could have texted me, though. Why come here and wait ? What if I didn't show up? How long would you wait for me?" he continued, an undertone of worry colouring his voice.

"Well… I wanted to say goodnight to you face to face. I am not sure how long I'd wait to do that. I would like to say I'd wait until you actually showed up, but I can't really promise that. Don't worry, its not like I'd freeze to death at your doorstep. But anyway, as I said I wanted to wish you a goodnight in person. Ah, and also give you this" Jihoon smiled, pulling a book out of his bag and extending it to Soonyoung. 

Soonyoung took it and looked it over. A book titled "Victorian Flowers and their meanings", with a bouquet drawn on the cover, a pretty drawing. Soonyoung faintly remembered seeing it in passing in the library. He looked at Jihoon questioningly.

"I thought you might find this book interesting. Read through it and remember. That's all I have to say. Bring it back to me by next week. I have to return it to the library. Well, then goodnight Soonyoung " Jihoon's smile turned slightly devious. Soonyoung was still a bit confused but smiled back and nodded, raising his hand to wave goodnight. Jihoon turned to leave before stopping in his tracks.

"Ah, yes. Before I go…" Jihoon turned around and walked the two steps that separated him from Soonyoung. He raised his arms and took hold of the taller boy's shirt lapels. Pulling his face down to his own height, he peered momentarily into Soonyoung's wide eyes, before planting a quick, soft peck on his lips.

"Happy birthday Soonyoung " Jihoon said, his face mere centimetres away from the other boy's, as his devious smile turned a bit smug. He let go of Soonyoung's lapels, and walked briskly away, leaving a dumbfounded Soonyoung behind to stare at his back.

Soonyoung's world stopped turning. There was nothing. Time, space, his surroundings; all disappeared. The only sensations he could register was the imprint of Jihoon's lips against his own and the blood rushing to his face and ears in a deafening rush. He watched Jihoon untill he left his field of vision and then numbly walked into his accommodation. 

The kiss didn't really sink in until Soonyoung heard his room's door close behind him. He dropped his bag and sat down on his bed; and everything came on at once.

_ He kissed me… he really kissed me. On his own. Is it my heartbeat that I hear ringing in my ears? Am I still in my body? Did it really happen? An I dreaming? I must be! But if I am not, what does it mean? Does he return my feelings? But how could he return something which he doesn't know about? I never told him… right? Or did I? In that night of utter exhaustion that i know nothing about? Ah, his lips … i always imagined they would be soft, but the sensation exceeded my expectations. And that smile… ah, I… I… my heart is going to explode. Could it be that he also loves me? Maybe I should just tell him… yes, I'll confess.  _

Soonyoung played back on his bed, staring at ceiling. He felt all giddy inside and his heart just couldn't calm down. He was finally confident that he had a chance. He would do it. Maybe the next time they would be able to get some time together out of the library. After their next study date he should probably ask Jihoon if he could walk him home. Yes, that would be a good opportunity. 

Carefully Soonyoung got up from the bed, still feeling a bit uncertain on whether his legs wouldn't buckle under his body. He walked to his bag, and pulled out the two books he had gotten from Jihoon. He places them on the bed, and picking up his pyjamas and a clean pair of underwear, he headed to the bathroom.

Once he was back from his shower, all freshly washed and clean, Soonyoung claimed on the bed and picked up " _ The Witch of Portobello _ ", opening it once again to the first page and reading Jihoon's note. His mind went fuzzy for a moment, as his heartbeat picked up again. He smiled to himself and was almost ready to cuddle the book to sleep. He decided against it. He was certain he would read this book again and again. 

But for now he had another book he had to read; one that was much more urgent to finish. He picked up the second book and opened it. It was  time to decipher Jihoon's cryptic comment. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there you have it. I finally decided how many chapters I will write for this fanfiction. So now you know how many are left. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter and that your wait for it was worth it. Keep reading to see what is in the future for these two. I will be back.
> 
> Till then, stay healthy and stay safe

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully you like this 😊. Leave a comment or some kudos. They help with motivation 😝.


End file.
